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Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman had a key message for his players before Saturday’s impressive 2-0 win over Sevilla in La Liga at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
The Dutch boss told his players, “We have to go out with bite from the first minute,” according to Marca’s Luis F. Rojo. Koeman also urged his players to be “very aggressive” right from the kick-off.
Barcelona players appeared to follow the manager’s instructions implicitly. Rojo notes how Gerard Pique and Oscar Mingueza both made hefty challenges in the early stages of the game.
Indeed Mingueza became engaged in a heated debate with former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic during the match after the pair tangled.
Captain Lionel Messi also showed his commitment and was not afraid to shy away from a tackle. The Argentine ended up being booked just before half-time. The yellow card is his fourth of the season and leaves Messi just one away from a one-match ban.
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Barcelona Finally Show Up Against Top Opposition
Barcelona went on to win the game and secure their first victory against a top-four team this season. Koeman’s men have largely disappointed in big games this season, losing to Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, PSG, Juventus and to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.
Yet the team showed greater intensity on Saturday and also came up with a new system that caught Sevilla off guard. Koeman deployed three center-backs and two wing-backs, while Ousmane Dembele partnered Lionel Messi in attack.
The switch proved very effective with Dembele and Messi both on target and Barcelona running out comfortable winners. The Catalan giants have now moved five points clear of Sevilla in the table and are just two behind leaders Atletico.
Koeman Praises Barcelona’s Physicality
The win left Koeman a satisfied man at the final whistle. The Barca boss spoke to reporters after the match and singled out his team’s physicality as an aspect that had left him particularly pleased, as reported by Marca.
We tried to pressure the opponent, and playing with three center-backs and full-backs pressed high made it easier for us to not let Sevilla play. That’s been the key. It’s a risky system, but without the ball we pressed and tried to play one-on-one. Our game off the ball was key. It was a complete game.
It’s been a good change that we’ve seen in 2021, although we lost points at the beginning. Today we’ve shown that we’re still very much alive and that’s very important. I’m proud, especially regarding the physical aspect. They have a physically very strong team and we were able to match them off the ball, and with the ball we were very good, very calm.
The result and the nature of Barcelona’s performance should breed confidence ahead of another meeting with Sevilla on Wednesday at the Camp Nou. This time the two teams clash in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Sevilla have the advantage going into the game after winning the first leg 2-0, but Barcelona will believe they can pull off a comeback and reach the final after getting the better of their opponents at the weekend.
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