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Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig is the one player many supporters would love to see in the starting XI for Sunday’s La Liga clash against Levante, and coach Ronald Koeman offered the youngster some rare praise in his pre-match press conference.
The Dutch coach never gives much away when it comes to his team selection but did offer the youngster a glimmer of hope that he could be involved after an impressive cameo against Juventus in midweek.
Riqui Puig played well against Juventus, as in his other games. It’s about putting the best starting 11. We’ll see what happens tomorrow and if he plays from the start.
I don’t like to talk about the players individually. A coach analyzes the system, the players … and based on this analysis decides the team. There are more than 20 footballers. If a player is not there, it is for something.
Puig has not managed a single start for Barca in 2020-21 and was advised by Koeman at the start of the season he would be better off going out on loan. Yet the midfielder is starting to get first-team chances off the bench and has featured in Barca’s last three Champions League group matches.
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Puig Stakes a Claim
Puig only played 24 minutes against Juventus but still managed to stake a claim for more minutes in his brief time on the pitch.
The 21-year-old’s passing ability and vision bring creativity and dynamism to the team that has been sorely lacking at times this season. Puig’s ability to help create chances is also an important aspect of his game.
The fierce competition for places in the Barca squad means that Puig has struggled to break into the first team, and his sole La Liga outing came as a stoppage-time substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Getafe.
Yet a lively outing off the bench in midweek coupled with Barca’s underwhelming performances will give supporters hope he will feature against Levante.
Koeman Tells Barcelona How to Improve
Koeman also spoke about how his side can improve in his news conference and made it clear he wants more concentration and focus from his players when it comes to defending.
I am talking more about being concentrated and defending better, make a foul when you need to. I’m talking more in this sense not about the system because we have let in 11 goals, two from penalties, three from corners, a throw-in, three individual mistakes. These are details where we have suffered and it’s not just the system. We are the team who has created the most chances in La Liga.
Yet the Barcelona boss will surely want more from his attackers as well after seeing his team fail to score against Juventus in midweek. Captain Lionel Messi may be forgiven for relishing the visit of Levante given his phenomenal record against the Frogs.
Koeman’s men have scored nine times in their last two La Liga matches at home, against Osasuna and Real Betis, and another healthy win would ease some of the mounting pressure on the Dutchman.
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