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Ronald Koeman has taken a shot at Barcelona while praising Lionel Messi. The manager claims the Argentine covered all the flaws at the club with his performances on the pitch.
Barcelona have not made the best of starts this season but are unbeaten in La Liga so far. They have two wins and two draws from their opening four games and sit 8th in the league table.
Ronald Koeman believes Lionel Messi saved Barcelona by holding the fort for so long. The Dutchman claims the forward made everyone around him look better than they were on the pitch. He told Voetbal International:
"Lionel Messi covered all the flaws at this club. He is so good. Of course he still had some good players around him, but he was the one who made the difference. And he made everyone around him look better than they are. This is not me criticizing, this is my observation. Messi is a 10/10 in every aspect of the game. In recognizing situations on the pitch, in finishing, in controlling the ball, in putting the right speed behind a pass. It's not normal, it's not normal! When I just became manager here, I went to Messi's house. He was extremely concerned and interested. The start of last season was difficult and he apologized to me later on for that. Messi needs to have an idea that there's a future within the club."
Ronald Koeman plans to quit when Barcelona players stop listening
Ronald Koeman insists he has no plans to quit Barcelona right now as he feels the players still listen to him. However, the 58-year-old does plan to leave his role as soon as he loses control of the dressing room. He said:
"The only way I will quit at this club is when my messages don't arrive at the players anymore. That's when I will say: 'Okay, I am done here.' But this is not the case. Every day that I am on the pitch with my players is a nice day, that's how I drive to the club."
Barcelona will play Cadiz on Thursday before taking on Levante on Sunday.
