Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has joined other coaches who
have criticized the crowded European fixtures schedule after he
decided to rest Lionel Messi in the Champions League clash
with Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday.
Barcelona lost the efforts of Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto
after suffering injuries in Saturday’s game, which the Catalan
club lost 0-1 to Atlético Madrid in the League, leaving only
three defenders in the first team for the Ukraine trip.
And while the loss to Atletico was Barcelona’s worst start in a
La Liga season in 29 years, the Catalan giants are playing hard
in the Champions League after having achieved three wins from
three matches in Group G, and if they beat Dynamo Kyiv, they
will reserve their place in the round of 16.
Koeman said his team’s strong position in Group G prompted
him to rest Messi and Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but he
also criticized the crowded fixture schedule, calling on FIFA
and the European Union (UEFA) to intervene.
“Sometimes you need to protect your players because the match
schedule is unbelievable,” Koeman was quoted by Reuters as
saying at a virtual press conference.
The Dutch coach added, “We are in a good position to comfort
Messi and Frenkie because most of the players fought all the
matches with us and also with their national teams, and Messi
faced a difficult return journey from South America (after
playing with Argentina).”
The busy European fixtures schedule has come under increasing
criticism recently after sports were hit hard by the Coronavirus pandemic.
