Barcelona boss Koeman explains why team didn’t play short passes during 1-1 draw v Granada; says he doesn’t have squad to execute beautiful football
Barca’s Ronald Araujo (right) celebrates scoring against Granada with a teammate during their Spanish League match on Monday. Pic/AFP
Ronald Koeman defended his direct tactics after being accused of betraying Barcelona’s attacking traditions in a 1-1 draw at home to Granada on Monday.
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Koeman brought Gerard Pique off the bench at Camp Nou to play up front alongside Luuk de Jong, with Ronald Araujo, another central defender, also thrown into the attack as Barca sent in 54 crosses in search of an equaliser.
Araujo finally headed home in injury-time after Domingos Duarte had given Granada an early lead but the whistles at the end from the Barcelona fans indicated a point was not nearly enough.
Point gained
“We changed our style a little bit,” Koeman said. “The spaces were out wide, not in the middle. We went with Pique, De Jong and Araujo and from one of those crosses we got the draw.”
Ronald Koeman
Koeman’s position was already fragile after last week’s 3-0 drubbing at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a game in which his team failed to muster a single shot on target. After the latest disappointment against Granada, it was put to him that supporters were even angrier about Barcelona’s style than the result.
“If you see the list of players, what do you do? Play tiki-taka when there are no spaces?” said Koeman. “We did what we had to do. We tried to win another way. We don’t have players one-on-one or with speed. We’re talking...I’m not going to say more because it seems I have to argue about everything.”
Koeman insisted he was calm and not fearing for his future as Barcelona coach but an already-strained relationship with club president Joan Laporta will be pushed to breaking point if results, and performances, do not improve.
Quick strike
There were 85 seconds on the clock when Domingos Duarte headed Granada in front. Sergio Escudero was quickest to his cleared corner and he beat Sergio Busquets twice, once to the ball and then again to the line where he fed Duarte, who nipped in front of Frenkie de Jong at the back post.
Luuk de Jong came on for Sergi Roberto at half-time, indicating a more direct approach was coming but Granada were not uncomfortable. De Jong should have scored with 11 minutes left but headed over from five yards.
Araujo was booked after a skirmish with Granada’s defenders and then, with the adrenaline still pumping, he grabbed an equaliser for Barca, keeping the ball alive in the box and then dashing forward to meet Gavi’s chipped ball in.
Barca chased a second, with Araujo sprinting down the right and trying to find Pique in the middle. Granada took a deserved point.
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