Koeman explains how Barcelona should move forward in the post-Messi era

The exit of Lionel Messi has been weighing heavily on all those associated with FC Barcelona. After the 2020-21 season was labeled as a transition season, the Catalans will face another massive transition in the new campaign.

Coach Ronald Koeman, however, believes that the quicker they move on, the better as he explains in a lengthy interview with ESPN.

“We have to understand that there is always an end for a player. You have to close the book because now we have to focus on this new season,” he said about Messi’s exit.

Koeman wants to focus on the squad he has and the tasks that lie ahead: “We have new players in and we have to move forward, and we have time for that. We have young players in the squad this season, and it’s also for the future, we are working on the future of this club, and it’s really important to have our focus on this.”

He did, however, acknowledge that losing Messi is not easy to get past: “I think it was difficult because we are not just talking about any player, we are talking about Leo Messi, the best player in the world through a lot of seasons and we were all disappointed that he will not play for us this season.”

“But you don’t stay in the disappointment with the new season starting,” he added

To make up for Messi’s absence he called on his other squad members to step up: “Messi scored 30 goals last season. So other players need to bring more and take the next step and it’s more about the team now than individual players.”

On injuries in the team, he said: “Hopefully, we get players back from injury like Ansu Fati and Coutinho, and then we still have a strong squad. We will work harder, we will do more to achieve what people expect from us.”

“We did a good pre-season, we have young players in, and if we get all the players back from injury the squad is still a strong one,” Koeman continued.

The Dutchman concluded with a word about how Barcelona must always keep competing: “Clubs like Barcelona don’t have seasons out of winning something. We know that, and the football people will understand it will be more difficult. It’s all about working rate and the team and we can make a step forward.”