Ronald Koeman took the reins of FC Barcelona in the summer of 2020, in the wake of Barca’s embarrassing defeat to Bayern in the UEFA Champions League. By then, the board thought his past at the club was what they needed to get back on track.
The Dutchman had a lot of history with the Catalans from his playing days, playing a pivotal role in the club’s first European success. However, his job as head coach left much to be desired, being sacked in his second season at the helm.
Barcelona then reached out to another club legend, and this time it worked. Xavi Hernandez got the Cules back on their feet, getting results andconvincing star players to join the club. Miralem Pjanic worked with both managers, and he recently revealed big differences between them.
Miralem Pjanic destroys Koeman, praises Xavi
“I was very surprised when I watched the training sessions with Koeman,” Pjanic told Que T’hi Jugues, via Barca Universal. “They were without intensity, without tactics, without ideas. We didn’t prepare for the matches.
“Now with Xavi, it’s totally different, they work a lot more and very well, this year we’re going to run a lot, they told us. Those who don’t play have very intense trainings. Every training is like playing a game.”
Pjanic arrived in Barcelona in 2020, just like Koeman. His arrival from Juventus, however, was decided by the front office during the summer as the club sent Arthur in the other direction.
After failing to make an impact in his first season at Camp Nou, the Bosnia international was sent on loan to Besiktas for the 2021-22 campaign. This summer he got to work under Xavi during the preseason but ended up rescinding his contract to join Emirati clubSharjah FC.