“Let's just go,” Koeman said Monday in the newsroom. And on Tuesday it was confirmed. Barça has arrived gasping at the end of the season, with players loaded with matches that show signs of fatigue Y the Dutch coach has shown in recent games that he trusts the fair. In addition to their gala eleven, in which there can be doubts between Mingueza and Araújo, Sergi Roberto, Ilaix and Dembélé have had a place as spare parts in the eleven. And dropper. Little more. There is a group of players, however, who have disappeared from Barça's rotations. It is the shipwreck of Barça's unit B, which could be divided into several subgroups.
The first would be formed by Miralem Pjanic and Francisco Trincao. The Bosnian midfielder came as one of the star signings of the year. Barça and Juve exchanged Pjanic and Arthur to balance scores and the Bosnian, a footballer with a very high reputation in Italy, it was thought that he could have less future, but would offer an immediate return. The disappointment has been enormous. Pjanic has only played 600 minutes in LaLiga and has not participated in a minute for twelve games. He has thrown in the towel and has been erased. For some reason, it didn't enter Koeman's eye from the start. In the pre-season drawing, he appeared as a starter in all pools at 4-2-3-1, alongside Frenkie de Jong on double pivot. But Busquets won the place, he passed it on the left, and Pjanic showed little spirit of improvement, until, after practically jogging, he decided to 'throw himself into the alley'. It will not be easy to find a site due to its very high profile.
Trincao has barely played 98 minutes in the last twelve games. And that he scored a decisive goal at Benito Villamarín that gave Barça hope of the League (2-3). The Portuguese, who pointed ways in preseason and the first games of the course, with a good one against one and a physical already made, was losing confidence in the things he did and tried in the field. Koeman's new system (3-4-2-1) ended up penalizing him, due to his condition of winger, and, except for surprise, he will go out next summer on loan in search of minutes.
The second subgroup is made up of the players who never counted. Riqui Puig heads the list. He has never had the confidence of Koeman and, when he has appeared on the field, and except for that moment of glory in the penalty shootout of the Super Cup semifinal against Real, he has not given what the team required. The Dutchman was much more convinced from the start by Pedri's magic and consistency and, in the second round, by Ilaix's physical power and good decision-making. He has played just over 200 minutes in LaLiga. In the last 13 games he has only participated in half an hour. Your future must be rethought.
The case of Júnior Firpo is strange. The Hispanic-Dominican has fulfilled almost every time he has played, but has only had 240 'in LaLiga. He has not played for ten games in a minute. The last time they were on the pitch, Barça won 0-2 in Pamplona. His relaxation when defending does not like the technicians. His future also seems far from Barcelona. After two Barça seasons, he has not had the confidence of Valverde, Setién or Koeman. The same as Riqui. A significant fact, since it is not about the anger of a single technician with the two players. Among those who never counted, and who are almost forgotten, is Matheus Fernandes, a blushing case. Barça didn't even have the decency to present it, probably because they knew they didn't have enough level to play for a team like Barça. It is difficult to understand how Barça paid seven million euros (plus three in variables) to Palmeiras, and put a clause of 300 million euros, on a footballer who will leave without playing a single minute in LaLiga and who, at least, You can say that he had 17 minutes in the Champions League and that, one day, he put on the Barça shirt in an official match. It was in Kiev.
The third subgroup consists of two special cases. Samuel Umtiti was a player with Barça level. In fact, his first two seasons for Barça were remarkable. However, he returned with his left knee to mush from the World Cup in Russia and he no longer recovered. Bartomeu did not care. He renewed it by paying a fortune although the doctors warned him of his problems. After erasing himself at the end of last season, Umtiti spent the first part of the season getting physically in tune and has helped in very specific moments. His last appearance, moreover, coincided with the defeat against Granada (1-2). He has played just 594 minutes in LaLiga. His future is far from the Barça club.
Finally, Martin Braithwaite had not played in the five games before Levante due to an ankle injury. Of course, the Dane is one of those who have had a certain role with Koeman, who has greatly appreciated his good attitude in training. Braithwaite also had his moment of glory in the second leg of the Cup semifinal against Sevilla (scored 3-0); and he almost has it in the Classic, where he forced a push from Mendy that could mean a 2-2 penalty. He has played for more than a thousand minutes and hopes to have one more before, surely, leaving Barça to make room for Depay and, who knows, Kun Agüero.