Barcelona: Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman defended his decision of benching Miralem Pjanic for Barcelona by stating that the squad had better players who inevitably received chances ahead of him.
“I wish him the best. It has been complicated. We have tried, we have tried and we have seen that there are other players better than him.” said the coach.
Barcelona had acquired Pjanic from Juventus a year ago in a swap deal featuring Brazilian midfielder Aurthur Melo who was deemed as a fan favourite. The deal itself garnered a lot of criticism , more when once regarded as a great midfielder Pjanic failed to make any mark for the Spanish Giants. Although he recieved a very little game time only making eight starts and featuring in 19 games in the League for the side, injuries were also a huge part of the set back.
After being sent on a season loan to Besiktas, Pjanic revealed his feelings regarding Koeman’s action of not giving him enough play time stating that the coach had very bare minimum interaction with him and the situation was complicated although he wanted to play more.
“I always wanted to play for Barca but I didn’t expect the situation to get so complicated,” Pjanic previously stated.
Koeman had responded to allegation of disrespecting Pjanic stating that his squad had better players than the Bosnia and Herzegovina international who brought better results for the team.
“I think it’s a bit of frustration on the part of the player that I understand,” Koeman told Mundo Deportivo.
“But in our way of playing, in our ideas with the ball and without the ball, he has lost the battle with other midfielders, and nothing else.
“I wish him the best. It has been complicated. We have tried, we have tried and we have seen that there are other players better than him.”
Barcelona have a started their League campaign with a win and a draw , while the departure of many players including Antoine Griezmann has raised the questions of Barcelona’s league success , it will be a interesting fit to see La Masia products carrying the legacy of the Spanish Giants.
