Barcelona boss Koeman can learn lessons from Marcelino

Head-to-head meetings between Barcelona and Athletic have been insightful encounters over the past year.

Ronald Koeman and Marcelino are in their second season with their respective clubs, and both are trying to find a way forward after inheriting difficult circumstances.

Either way, the expectation of the two historic clubs is to get results and respect in front of proud supporters who have little patience to rebuild. So far neither has been really convincing, but the methods have been interesting to watch.

Last season, with trophies at stake, Athletic first beat Barcelona 3-2 in Supercopa in one of Marcelino’s first games with the club, with a game plan similar to the one we saw in Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

A few months later the two sides met again, and this time it was Koeman who took the upper hand, winning the Copa del Rey 4-0, which was arguably his side’s best performance of the season.

With the start of a new season, one thing was clear when the two teams met at San Mames on Saturday, Marcelino knew exactly what he wanted his team to do. Koeman just seemed to throw his guys over there.

Photo by David S. Bustamante / Soccrate / Getty Images

Tactically, Athletic are attacking Barcelona in a predictable way and essentially looking to catch them off guard. It works, because Barcelona are predictable too.

This time around Marcelino has asked his side to set the tone by pressing high and aggressively from the start, knowing Barcelona will play stubbornly from behind, even when the logical and obvious thing to do is play on the pitch where there is space. .

Athletic won three corners in the first three minutes and set the game plan in motion. Beat Barça on a free kick.

At the end of the match, they had 13 corners. Barca defended them surprisingly well, with the exception of one, when Eric Garcia was beaten by a taller and faster Inigo Martinez.

On the bright side, Barca’s defense seemed more confident in defending set pieces, but statistically at this rate you’ll end up losing one.

On the other hand, Inaki Williams caused problems as he always does and had the misfortune of not scoring a goal after facing Barca’s defense on several occasions.

As so often happens, Athletic eventually got tired and Barca found their way back into the game behind a fantastic individual effort from Memphis Depay.

Photo by David S. Bustamante / Soccrate / Getty Images

Ronald Koeman cannot rely on the spectacular as a method of winning games. He must have a plan.

Even when Marcelino and Athletic fail, you can see what they’re trying to do.

They have personality. They have a style of play whether you find it appealing or not.

In the future, without Messi to guide, what image will this Barcelona team have?

Does Koeman have a vision in mind? Looking at them on Saturday, it didn’t look like it.

The fruit at hand is to motivate and ensure that the team has the energy to start the game. Without it, we’ll never know for sure which team we’re getting.

And going 1-0 down has caused problems for most teams who are happy to defend a lead.

The second area of ​​concern with Koeman is the lack of player rotation at the right time. He needs to keep players fresh and ready to give their all every minute of the game.

Is a tired dog Pedri better than Riqui Puig?

Should Eric Garcia have played on the day of his grandfather’s death instead of Ronald Araujo?

What about Gerard Pique who was treating an injury before the game?

The manager is responsible for these decisions.

If things aren’t going well while the game is in progress, do something about it.

Koeman is going to need everyone this season, even players who aren’t his personal favorites.

Against Athletic, an argument could be made that adjustments were needed at half-time. The Dutchman’s indecision and his overall conservative management of play are limiting the team’s options and will surely cause his side to lose points in the future.

Marcelino doesn’t have a full roster, and he stays with his starters when they get the job done, but second Barca equalized, he had an attacking adjustment ready to go with Nico Williams, who almost won the game in the dying minutes .

This season could play out in different ways.

Even now, with many players injured and unavailable, Koeman has plenty of resources if he’s willing to trust them.

No excuses.

It’s still Barcelona.

Have a plan, have pride, and be courageous.

This team needs leaders. It starts with the manager.

Koeman can do better. Learn the lessons now while it’s time.