Ronald Koeman: Everyone could show their quality, above all the youngsters

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman liked what he saw in the team’s 4-0 win over Nastic on Wednesday, the first pre-season friendly.

The Dutchman recognised that the young players stepped up and did well, even if he didn’t want to get too specific with names.

“The important thing was that everyone played 45 minutes and got some fitness, that’s the priority,” explained Koeman. “We’ve only been working a week. The second half was different as Nastic were down to 10 men. We dominated more and created chances, in the end we got a good result. I saw some very positive things.”

The coach highlighted that “everyone has come back well from holidays and trained hard. It was the first game and the main thing is getting fitness. Two different teams played so everyone was able to show their quality. Above all the young players, although there’s no need to name names.”

Koeman was happy to have coached his first Barca game with fans in attendance, with just over 2,000 in the Johan Cruyff stadium.

“It was a good game, although it was strange at the start with fans. At least they are coming back now. I love it and the players love it too, because the fans applaud them after they do well and it helps a lot.

“It’s important to keep incorporating the players because we will have little time with all the squad together. We’ve got to play good games in Germany. Stuttgart and Salzburg are two top level teams and we can draw more conclusions then.”