Ronald Koeman reportedly accused Riqui Puig of leaking information at the start of the season after telling the youngster that he should go out on loan as it was not in the Dutchman’s plans for 2020-21.
The news that Puig had been judged above the requirements quickly reached the media, prompting Koeman to confront the young man in front of the entire dressing room before the Gamper Trophy and accuse him of leaking information, according to El País.
The report acknowledges that the reaction of the rest of the players was quite mixed. Some seemed happy that Koeman was trying to get rid of any harmful attitude, but others weren’t convinced as news of the coach’s phone call telling Luis Suárez that he was no longer wanted had also been widely spread.
This week there has been more talk of locker room riots after the defeats to Cádiz and Juventus. Sport reported that players have told Koeman that they don’t like his 4-2-3-1 formation and want to go back to 4-3-3.
Koeman was asked about the speculation yesterday at his pre-match press conference and insisted that the reports were not true and that he “feels supported” by the Barça dressing room.