New Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman warned that any players who lack commitment or professionalism will be shown the door as he vowed to lead the team back to glory after last week's 8-2 humiliation in the Champions League by Bayern Munich.
“What we need to do is give a different image to what we gave against Bayern, that's not the Barca we or the fans want to see,” Koeman said at his presentation on Wednesday after signing a two-year deal with Barca.
“You have to be very happy wear the Barca shirt. You have to show that with commitment, professionalism, with everything you have inside. If we do that, the image will be totally different to what it was last week,” he said.
Koeman left his role as Netherlands coach to take charge of Barca, who he helped win a first European Cup in 1992 during a golden six-year spell in Johan Cruyff's so-called 'Dream Team'.
The Dutchman said that Barca was his home, although he admitted it was not an easy time to return to the club, who are reeling from their first trophy-less campaign in 12 years.
“We're going to work very hard to build a strong team but we'll have to make changes because the image of the other day is not what we want. We'll have to work hard to recover our prestige,” he said. “It's a big challenge and it won't be easy because Barca always demands the best of you, which is the way it should be.
“Barca are still the biggest club in the world. Now we have to work hard to make sure Barca gets back to where they should be. There is enough quality in the team to demand the best results and to win trophies,” he said.
Koeman did not reveal which players he would seek to move on from the club, although he made it clear he only wanted to work with those who were fully committed.
“I don't want to mention names, we have to look in the club's best interests and make the best squad possible to try and win games,” he said.
“There are players of a certain age who you can start to doubt, although a player who is 31, 32 or even 33 is not necessarily finished, it all depends on your hunger and whether you want to give everything for the club,” Koeman said. “I only want to work with players who want to be here, and if they are not happy here then they should say so. I only want people who are going to give everything for Barca.”
