Wrong Time for Koeman to coach Barça.

Barcelona and Netherlands fan Ibrahim Ayyub gives his opinion on the news that Ronald Koeman will be leaving his post as Oranje boss to take over at the Catalan giants.

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The news that Ronald Koeman was going to become FC Barcelona’s new manager was surprising and disappointing. Koeman ended the Oranje’s ordeal of mediocrity when they qualified for an international tournament for the first time since 2014. This summer was supposed to be the pinnacle of his time with the Oranje, with him stepping down upon the conclusion of Euro 2020 and seeking new challenges. However, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted his plans, and everyone else’s, and his international competition debut as a manager was put on hold for another year. Furthermore, Koeman suffered a scare when he was recently hospitalized with heart problems, which made 2020 an unusual year for the manager.

For those who were not aware, Ronald Koeman’s nickname during his playing days was Tintin. The popular character from The Adventures of Tintin has been on many adventures, but none will be as daring as Koeman’s new adventure as Barça’s manager for the upcoming season; Tintin in the land of Dumpster Fires. It pains me that Koeman would abandon his post as the Oranje manager to join FC Barcelona, especially when this is the worst time to join Barça.

It seems that Koeman is following his heart, and not his brain in making this decision. It has always been Koeman’s dream to become Barça’s manager. The former Barça player is a legend who was always linked to the Barça job, following his successful tenure as the Oranje manager. However, this is the worst time to join FC Barcelona who is in the midst of a crisis. Koeman is accepting to take over Barça with hardly any time for a proper preseason; the Spanish league kicks off on September 12. He is inheriting an awful squad and because of Barça’s dire financial situation, it is rather doubtful they’ll be making any good signings. Oh, and the team’s starting goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen, will be undergoing knee surgery and could be out three to four months.

Lastly, the club will be having elections in March 2021 for a new president, so his stay in Barcelona could be short-lived if a new president opts to hire his own manager. Koeman’s heart scare probably made him realize that life is too short and he should not pass up the chance to manage his former club. However, this job is not for the weak of heart and perhaps Koeman should think twice before accepting Barça’s offer and keep his word that he will see out his contract with the Oranje. Then again, he may be out of a job before Euro 2020 kicks off next summer and who knows, maybe the Oranje would take him back.

Cillessen’s Questionable move to Barça.

Many were surprised when Barça decided to sign Jasper Cillessen from Ajax Amsterdam this most recent summer transfer window. The Oranje keeper went from a team that recently struggled to achieve success both on the domestic and European stage, to a team that is expected to win every possible trophy. Although Cillessen is upgrading the quality of his team, is this move a downgrade for his career?

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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When FC Barcelona was forced to decide between keeping the Chilean Claudio Bravo or the German Marc-André ter Stegen, the club decided to bank on the German as their keeper for the future. Bravo was in his thirties while ter Stegen is still a young pup in his early twenties. It was the right move for the club to cash in on Bravo by selling him to Manchester City since they had their goalkeeper of the future. However, eyebrows were raised when Jasper Cillessen was rumored to be Bravo’s replacement instead of some aging veteran.

Barça have a history of signing Dutch players from the days of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens back in the mid 70’s to the vast number of players in the 90’s and this century. One of the players signed during the 90’s was Dutch goalkeeper Ruud Hesp. He was the starting goalkeeper when Louis van Gaal was in charge as Barça captured back to back league titles. So it is not unchartered territory for Cillessen as he begins a new chapter in his career as a Barça goalkeeper.

Sadly, the contrast of quality between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona is not debatable. Cillessen leaves a club that is going through tough times as they usher in a new era now that Frank de Boer is no longer the manager. Furthermore, Cillessen also endured two disappointing years for both club and country where his performances left a lot to be desired. Of course, an argument could be made that the supporting players in front of him were not blameless either.

Nonetheless, when Cillessen joins his new Barça teammates for a training session at Ciutat Esportiva, he will undoubtedly be surrounded by a better supporting class consisting of world-class players. Unlike Ajax, he will have better defenders playing in front of him and other players that are game changers. His usual training session will consist of facing superb players such as Iniesta, Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez that will no doubt test him and, hopefully, help him become a better player.

However, this move seems puzzling since Cillessen is signed to be ter Stegen’s backup. In Spain, the backup mainly features in the Spanish cup, Copa del Rey. The only way the backup goalkeeper will play in the league or the Champions League will be if the starter is injured or is performing poorly. Right now, ter Stegen is the starting goalkeeper for Barça in both the Spanish league and the Champions League. Therefore, Cillessen is expected to start the Copa del Rey matches, which amounts to 9 matches a year if Barça reach the final.

It is doubtful that Barça manager Luis Enrique will repeat what he did the last two seasons when Bravo featured strictly in the Spanish league while ter Stegen featured in Copa del Rey and Champions League. This time around, the manager plans on using ter Stegen for the Spanish league and Champions League, which is why Bravo asked to be sold. Both goalkeepers wanted to be the league starters, and the club opted for youth.

Cillessen was the starting goalkeeper for the Oranje during World Cup 2014, but it is hard to believe that this move to Barcelona will ensure he remains first choice. Oranje manager Danny Blind recently relegated Cillessen to the bench and started Jeroen Zoet in Holland’s most recent matches against Greece and Sweden. Was the decision made because of Cillessen’s recent poor form or with an eye to the future? Ultimately, Cillessen’s chances of being the Oranje starting goalkeeper seem slim if he is going to be sitting on the Barça bench for the majority of the season.

The last three seasons, Cillessen made 33, 42, and 44 appearances for Ajax in the Eredivisie and in European Competition. He will be lucky if he manages to make 10-15 appearances for Barça this season. Perhaps Luis Enrique will surprise us and use Cillessen more but for the moment, Cillessen is there in case of an emergency. As this is being published, ter Stegen has suffered a knee injury that will see him miss two weeks. Thus, Cillessen will now get to start in two league matches and one Champions League match.

Barça did the right thing in signing Cillessen as a security blanket for ter Stegen. He has the right pedigree for the position. However, Cillessen is too young to be a security blanket when he can be a starter elsewhere. Time will tell how this move works for Cillessen and his future. He should make the most of this recent opportunity, and also his time with Barça. Yet, he should also keep his options open for his future and seek an exit if a better opportunity presents itself.