"Players were not happy" - Barcelona star admits that the squad 'lost trust' in Ronald Koeman

FC Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza has hinted at a lack of atmosphere in the team dressing room during Ronald Koeman's final few days at Camp Nou. The 22-year-old wasn't hesitant to admit that his teammates lost trust in the Dutchman's methods.

Koeman's time at Barcelona was clouded by controversy, starting off with the departure of Lionel Messi in the summer. The Catalan giants, known for their exuberant brand of football, have been at the receiving end of some distressing performances this season.

Following Barcelona's 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano on October 27, Koeman was relieved of his duties. They have since followed up the result with two league draws and the appointment of one of the club's finest, Xavi Hernandez, on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Mingueza has openly revealed that Koeman had lost the dressing room by the end of his time at the club. Speaking to Esport3, he stated:

"The dressing room needed a change. There was no atmosphere. Players were not happy. And when you're not well and things don't turn out, you need a change. The team stopped trusting [Koeman's methods] and everyone tried to fix things on their own. We weren't good, neither individually nor collectively."

Often, individual quality is overshadowed by a lack of cohesion within the squad if things aren't going right. Barcelona's Mingueza reflected on the same, remarking that there was a lack of self-belief. He added:

"When the dynamics aren't good, everyone does what they can but we lacked self-belief."

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Xavi's signing set to infuse breath of fresh air at Barcelona

Xavi is set to become an instant fan favourite at Barcelona

It is not just the return of a club legend that is exciting for Barcelona fans, but also the footballing philosophy that Xavi would bring to the club.

Xavi's Al Sadd had often been regarded as a fluid, pass-oriented team— just like the Barcelona of old. As someone who has learnt the majority of his trade at the Catalan club, Xavi would be an exciting tactician, according to Mingueza. The Spanish international continued:

"Xavi's training is very focused on the idea of what we want to do on the pitch. It is good that we have a clear idea and that we all work in a specific way to obtain a good result as a team. I'm sure things will change and get better now. Starting this weekend, we'll see new things."

Xavi will be looking to start his Barcelona career as manager with a win against Espanyol on Sunday.

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