'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The new La Liga season is upon us and the challenging reality at the Nou Camp has caught up with Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman. The Dutchman would not have imagined being without the services of Lionel Messi going into his second tenure at the club.
Whenever Barcelona have been in a dire situation in the past, Messi always seemed to bail them out. That's how Koeman kept the hope of winning the league title alive until the end of last season. However, the Barcelona manager has now stressed that the club has to move on from the Messi era. He told ESPN.
“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 and not focus on what happened in the last few days."
It will be a mammoth task for the youngsters to elevate their performances to newer levels. There is no denying that La Masia produces some of the most talented and versatile prodigies in the world. However, expecting these young talents to shoulder this kind of responsibility is a massive risk that Barcelona has to take.
“Of course we will have more difficulties to score goals, 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," Koeman pointed out.
“It’s not always one player, you have to do it together. 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," added Koeman.
Messi and Barcelona have become synonymous with each other and Koeman knows it will be hard for everyone to move on. The manager has to quickly get his team prepared for the new season.
