Shenzen FC boss Jordi Cruyff believes Barcelona have recovered the feeling of being able to win every game they play and he praised manager Ronald Koeman.
Koeman endured a tough start to life in the hotseat but the club’s fortunes have drastically turned in recent months; qualifying for the Copa del Rey final after a dramatic turnaround and they are the most in-form side in La Liga.
The Blaugrana are just four points from the summit in the league and could complete a domestic double this season, with the drastic change in form earning Koeman plenty of plaudits.
Cruyff is now of the opinion that the mentality at the club has been transformed and they now have the same levels of self-belief of the all-conquering Barca sides of recent times.
He told an interview with Cadena Ser: “I think that Barcelona already has a good run from many games: they have won more than 90 percent of the points in 2021. This is not something for a single month.
“It is true that the stumble against Cádiz ignited that pessimism that exists in football today. But it must also be said that since then the team has also won in the Copa del Rey and a strong performance in the return leg against Paris Saint-Germain. And now La Liga is alive again.
“I believe that dynamics are important in football. Let’s say there is a time when you see yourself capable of winning on any pitch. Barcelona are recovering the feeling that they can win in every game.”
Cruyff then added specifically of Koeman that he had done an impressive job in a season that was so busy it was like two or three normal years.
He said: “Koeman has a lot of merit and not only for football. He has come to the club at a difficult time regarding the change of players, financial problems, all the institutional problems that have been had.
“Although he signed already knowing that it was a Covid time, but there are so many things that have come together and that make the coaching task very complicated.
“Because in the end the coach can do a lot of things, but you also depend on what there is. He has had a year that is worth two or three, because it has been a very busy year in all areas. I believe that in the end the work should be rewarded.
“I think the fact of being a person who already knows the environment of the club also gave him a big advantage. You have come to know how things work in good times and bad. And I think it will have been an advantage for him, without a doubt.”
