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Ronald Koeman's spell as Barcelona manager has left a lot to be desired. The Dutchman was appointed after the dismissal of Quique Setien in the summer of 2020, with the task to steady the Blaugrana's sinking ship. But his stint at Camp Nou has produced more questions than answers thus far.
Apart from delivering unconvincing results, Ronald Koeman also has a rather worrying history of metting out seemingly unfair treatment on players. The tactician has spent just over a year in charge of the dressing room. Yet multiple players have already pointed fingers at him for casting them aside for little-known reasons.
In fact, the Dutchman has fallen out with a big section of fans simply because he has mistreated a few players over the last few months. On that note, here is a look at five players Ronald Koeman has cast aside since becoming the Barcelona manager.
#5 Miralem Pjanic
Miralem Pjanic joined Barcelona from Juventus ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. The Bosnian arrived with great enthusiasm to prove his worth at a club, but soon found himself surplus to requirements under Ronald Koeman.
The midfielder found opportunities difficult to come by last term, albeit for incomprehensible reasons. Pjanic started only 13 games for Barcelona last campaign, completing 90 minutes only five times. He was eventually sent on loan to Besiktas during this summer.
The midfielder held nothing back as he blasted Koeman for treating him in such a manner shortly after leaving the club. He said:
"Last year in Barcelona, the coach made decisions that I didn't understand, I wasn't very lucky. I could have played for Barcelona. I needed more minutes, but it was the coach's decision."
He continued:
"He had to figure it out, and find a place where I could play. It was a very difficult situation to accept, but I wasn’t going to fight. There was a person who was never going to change. He’s the coach."
#4 Riqui Puig
One of the brightest youngsters in Barcelona's squad, Riqui Puig slipped down the radar after Ronald Koeman took charge of affairs at Camp Nou. It is difficult to understand why Puig continues to suffer under the Dutchman.
The midfielder started just four games for the Blaugrana last season, completing 90 minutes only once. So far this season, he has made four appearances, all from the bench. More disappointingly, the Spaniard has accumulated only 72 minutes out of a possible 810 under Koeman.
#3 Alex Collado
Another exciting Barcelona talent, Alex Collado, has also been exiled by Ronald Koeman. The young forward was excited to earn promotion into the senior team following his splendid displays in preseason. However, things happened quickly. and his dream soon became a nightmare.
It all began when Koeman ruled the youngster out of his plans for the season. It was quite evident that Barcelona needed more legs up front after losing several attackers and injury plaguing their forwards. That made it rather difficult to understand the Dutchman's decision to jettison Collado.
Collado wasn't registered with either of Barcelona's first or second teams. As a result, Barcelona tried to help him get a loan move away for the campaign. The likes of Club Brugge and Sheffield United showed interest, nothing materialised.
As things stand, the attacker isn't eligible to play for any team until he sorts out his future in the winter transfer window. According to reports, Collade was depressed, and considered an early retirement. But Barcelona president Joan Laporta stepped in to assure that he is in the club's long-term plans.
#2 Samuel Umtiti
Ronald Koeman allegedly told Samuel Umtiti this summer that he had no future at Barcelona. The Frenchman reportedly broke into tears to convince the club to grant him a chance to prove his worth. Unfortunately, that opportunity doesn't look forthcoming under Koeman.
The centre-back is yet to feature in any game for Barcelona this season, despite being fit. In fact, Koeman has deployed midfielder Frenkie de Jong at the heart of the defence than playing Umtiti. It remains to be seen if that changes as the season progresses.
#1 Luis Suarez
It took just 40 seconds for Ronald Koeman to inform Luis Suarez in a phone conversation that his time was up at Camp Nou. The striker was offloaded to Atletico Madrid ahead of last season with the reason that he was too old to perform at the top level.
However, the Uruguayan proved the tactician wrong by leading Atletico to the Liga title last season, scoring 21 goals in 32 games. After scoring against Barcelona in a La Liga clash this season, Suarez didn't hesitate to hit back at Koeman. He said:
"The Koeman phone call to tell me that he was not counting on me lasted 40 seconds, it’s not the way to get rid of a legend. First, he told me that I would not be in his plans, and then he told me that if I didn’t resolve my contract, I was going to play (in the first game of the season) against Villarreal."
Suarez continued about Ronald Koeman:
"He lacked the personality to tell me things clearly if he didn’t want me or if it was really the club that didn’t want me."
