New Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman's 10 commandments

Ronald Koeman has arrived at FC Barcelona in troubled times. He takes on the challenge of carrying out a revolution of the squad and helping Barça get back to what they were. And he will use his own methods. Here are the pillars of his philosophy. A new project looking for a lost identity. 

1. MERITOCRACY

A coach that has been capable of telling Luis Suarez, Rakitic and Vidal that they're not in plans shows they have character and clear ideas. Koeman will not pick on names alone. From the first minute, he will reward those that work hard and show their quality. He learned from Johan Cruyff that it's one thing to have a good relationship with the players and another thing to be flexible.  Koeman won't worry about making unpopular decisions. For him, the blessing of the group is above any individual. It's simple: those that deserved to play, play. 

2. PHYSICAL PREPARATION 

One of the serious problems detected by Koeman is that the team's fitness has not been good enough in recent times. At the end of the season, they have run out of gas and been taken apart (Roma, Liverpool, Bayern...). Koeman wants to change that and use the methods he used at Southampton and Everton. In the Premier League, even the bottom sides can make things difficult for you due to the intensity of their play. Koeman wants Barça to be able to match their rivals physically. He's backing new fitness coach Albert Roca, who Frank Rijkaard spoke wonders about. 

3. DEAD BALLS 

It's impossible to find a coach that knows the importance of set plays more than Koeman. Two of his own set players, against Kaiserslautern with Bakero and the free-kick at Wembley, are etched in Barça's history. He loves set plays and knows the value of them. With Messi, Pjanic and more, he's not short of quality, either. 

4. HIGH PRESS 

One of the signs of Barça's identity has been their high press when the opposition play the ball out. It was worked on under Pep Guardiola and in Luis Enrique's first season but has been lost little bu little. Koeman's detected that Barça have become vulnerable without the ball. The team drop back late and poorly. They don't know how to protect themselves when they lose the ball. Ronald wants to revert the situation and it working on it a lot in training. Recovering the pressure and having a defensive order is the order of the day. 

5. ACADEMY

Koeman's shown faith in youth players wherever he's coaches. What he won't do is use young players if he doesn't think they're ready just to be popular. At Valencia, Juan Mata was his bet. In Barça, the first two players he will open the door to are Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati. Other B team players are also training with the first team. 

6. UNITED DRESSING ROOM 

The noise from outside the club concerns Koeman a lot, because he knows it's hard to isolate from what's being said and can damage the dressing room. For that reason, he will do all he can to unite the dressing room and keep the players together. That strong bond will be key to success. He wants the squad to worry on what happens inside and to focus on rowing in the same direction and winning matches by playing well. 

7. PROFESSIONAL 

This is no minor issue. Koeman will demand that his players and staff behave according to the institution they represent. He likes good manners, respect and a professional attitude. He knows times have changed from when he was a player, of course, but he will ask the players to represent the club 24 hours a day. This is their profession. They should take care of their diet, their rest and their personal commitments away from the pitch. 

8. SYSTEM AND SPEED 

Koeman will not dramatically change what we've seen in recent years because he wants Barça to have the ball and dominate play. What he does want is his forwards to be open and to add depth to the attack. We will still see De Jong and Busquets building the play with advanced full-backs but there will be a focus on speed. Koeman wants a quick team, two touches maximum. He believes problems in recent years have stemmed from being slow. He will ask players to take risks and to be brave, too. 

9. CHARACTER 

Dembélé, De Jong, Coutinho, Semedo, Griezmann, Junior… They're players that have not done what they should in the last two seasons. From all of them, plus Ansu Fati, Koeman will ask them to show character, to believe in themselves. If they are at Barcelona, it's because they've done well at their previous clubs. He wants them to step up, to play bigger roles and not wait for teammates to solve problems. They're much better than they believe and if they've not been at their best it's because of a lack of confidence in themselves. Koeman believes they can take on the challenge and will give them chances. 

10. LEO MESSI

The first conversation between Koeman and Messi was cordial and respectful. Leo knows who Koeman is and what he means for the club and has respect for him. Koeman wants from Messi what everyone wants: that he makes the difference on the pitch and inspires his teammates and leads by example. Koeman hopes he will be his biggest ally in his new project because if Leo's not on board, things are already on a bad footing. Koeman is convinced that a motivated Messi will make things less difficult. The Barça coach was nervous as Messi tried to leave but delighted when he stayed.