Ansu Fati lacks concentration after Messi departure - Koeman
Martin Macdonald
- 25 Sept 2021 23:12 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman has criticised Ansu Fati for dropping his intensity in training following the exit of club talisman Lionel Messi.
Fati has missed nearly a year of action, having suffered a cruciate ligament injury last season.
He is currently back in training and is in the squad for this weekend's La Liga clash against Levante.
As for Messi, he is no longer a Barcelona player, having joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
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The standard of performances on the pitch have regressed since Messi's departure as Barca have won just two of their opening four La Liga games, while they were recently defeated 3-0 at home by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
According to Koeman, though, the standard of training has actually dropped also, as when Messi was around every player made sure they practised with intensity.
The Dutchman singled out Fati in particular for allowing his training standards to drop since Messi left.
What did Koeman say?
“When I first became coach, I had a conversation with him at his house in Castelldefels. What immediately struck me was how involved he felt and how much he is interested in football," Koeman explained to Voetbal International.
"The start was difficult, he later apologised for that. Messi must have the idea that there is a future in what he does. But he started to get more and more enthusiastic.
"The performance with Messi is perfect. We now sometimes do a pass and kick practices, where you had to shoot the ball into a small goal, around a post. The other day I saw Ansu Fati shoot three metres wide, simply due to lack of concentration. But he wouldn't have done that if Messi had still been there. Then he got set right, Messi became furious. That never happened with [Messi].
"I have never met anyone except Johan Cruyff with his football intelligence. Alfred [Schreuder, assistant] sometimes explained the exercises in English and Messi does not speak that very well. But after a few seconds he knew it.
"He delivered 50 goals last year: 30 goals, 20 assists. He was an example for the players. When we won the cup, Messi had won so many trophies, bigger than this one, but you saw that the Copa del Rey really did something for him this time. With those young players in there, he saw the future of the club. All those guys wanted to take a picture with him, I've never seen anything like it.
"That's how big he was and is. It was a shock to the whole town that he's not here now."
