KEY POINTS

  • Ronal Koeman is once again under fire for his public comments of Nico Gonzalez
  • Atletico Madrid dealt Barcelona a 2-0 loss in their matchup this past weekend
  • Barcelona prexy Joan Laporta publicly backed the Barcelona manager

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman continues to create his own problems in the locker room and with the fans.

As reported by Javier Miguel of AS.com, the Dutch manager singled out 19-year-old midfielder Nico Gonzalez in the post-match conference after his side lost 0-2 at the hands of Atletico Madrid.

Koeman expressed his frustration in Gonzalez for allowing Thomas Lemar to score the opening goal in their La Liga matchup this past weekend.

“You can't leave so much space when we lost the ball. In midfield we have to follow the marking, Nico [Gonzalez] left [Thomas] Lemar,” said Koeman as quoted by AS.com.

“Maybe that's why he understands why sometimes we have played with 3 central [players]. In the middle of the field, you have to follow the man, and if they have depth, even more. With the 1-0 [deficit], it has already been very complicated.”

Miguel also reported that a “major player” at the club went to talk to Gonzalez and showed his support for the youngster.

“Nico [Gonzalez] privately acknowledged that he was confused on that specific play where [Thomas] Lemar ended up scoring the goal, but he is obviously in a learning process and these are situations that he has to correct throughout his career,” Miguel wrote.

Understandably, Koeman drew flak on social media for his comments about what happened with the young midfielder.

Squawka Football’s chief writer Muhammad Butt stressed that Koeman’s statements were “disgraceful."

Although Koeman seems to be in hot water for his remarks at the moment, Barcelona president Joan Laporta shot down all rumors of firing the Dutch manager ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona fans have been very critical of Koeman’s performance as a manager, especially after Barcelona lost both of its UEFA Champions League matches, putting them in danger of missing the knockout stages for the first time in two decades.

With Laporta’s public backing of Koeman, Barcelona supporters and players will need to endure a bit more of the Dutch’s ways until it all comes to a head down the road.

RELATED STORIES