Barcelona: Why Koeman’s treatment of Lionel Messi is a good thing

This may be an unpopular opinion but the new Barcelona boss is in the right here.

While there was some speculation in the past, I don’t think anyone, especially Barcelona fans, saw this one coming. It was revealed yesterday in a groundbreaking fashion that Lionel Messi would leave the club he has served since the beginning of his illustrious career. Now, clubs from across Europe and afar are drooling over the possibility of signing him.

According to a report Diario Ole (via the Daily Mail), Ronald Koeman is partly to blame for his decision. The new Barcelona manager was quoted as telling Messi that his privileges at the club were no more.

This is quite a powerful stance for a new manager to take. However, as a club legend, the Dutchman knows the club very well and he wants them to succeed, of course. That said, he was always the right man for the opening.

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The reason why I believe that Koeman has done the right thing here is that he’s broken a toxic trait that the Barcelona managers have had in the past. It seems like, in recent history, the people at the top of the Camp Nou hierarchy have been somewhat submissive to Messi’s demands, demeaning their position of authority and making them passive in the Argentine’s decision making.

While Messi is a great player and, in my opinion, the greatest to ever do it, he is simply that. A player, not a manager. This is why it’s good to see a confident manager taking hold of the wheel at Barcelona, someone who trusts his own intentions and doesn’t need guidance from one player.

This confidence will surely transcend onto the pitch and the other players in the squad will show him much more respect as he plans to rebuild the club into what it should be.

What do you make of Ronald Koeman’s treatment of Lionel Messi?