Koeman talks Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Balde, De Jong, Messi ahead of Netherlands vs Spain | OneFootball

Spain and the Netherlands will clash this Thursday in Rotterdam in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, with the return match set for Sunday in Valencia.

Ronald Koeman, former Barcelona player and manager, now in charge of the Netherlands national team, spoke to the media about the upcoming fixture and his former club.

Huge praise for Lamine Yamal

Like Frenkie de Jong during the press conference, Koeman too was full of praise for Lamine Yamal, who will be one of the players to watch out for when the Oranje face Spain tomorrow.

“Yes, he is a special player. For a coach, it’s very special to have that kind of player because they have a lot of quality and are able to win games,” said Koeman.

“I had the opportunity to work with Messi, and it was amazing, because this type of player is exceptional. I hope that one day Yamal can achieve what Messi did with Barcelona, because Messi has had a huge impact on this club,” he continued.

“I hope the young players can win a lot of trophies, and then Frenkie will be able to win a lot of trophies with them.”

On how his team can stop Lamine tomorrow, Koeman added: “In football, it is not always possible to defend against everyone. That is the quality of such a talent.”

“But you can make sure as a team that you can put pressure forward and the people who have to serve him can’t serve him. Shut down the inside.”

Koeman in awe of Lamine Yamal. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

On Pedri and others

Koeman, during his time as Barcelona manager, was responsible for giving first-team debuts to young talents like Pedri, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde, who are now key players for the club.

“I’m very happy to have given them their Barcelona debut but the credit goes to them because they are great players,” said Koeman.

“It was nice to give them their debut and to be able to see how they have developed,” he added.

On being asked if he was aware of Yamal’s talent and potential while he was still at Barcelona, Koeman noted:

“You always hear about that of course. But when I was there we brought Pedri, Gavi, Balde, Mingueza. They all joined the first team as well and are having great careers.

“There’s a lot of talent, and that’s very important for the club, especially with their finances improving. But during my time there, the financial situation was very difficult. So, it’s very important for the club to continue to develop these great talents.”

Pedri spoke about Koeman in a recent interview, claiming that he was looking forward to their reunion during the international break.

On being asked if he receives messages from the Barcelona midfielder, Koeman replied:

“No, no messages from Spain. That contact gets diluted a bit. Nice to see, to hear from players like that, because you gave them their debut. That’s always a moment for someone to remember. A firm handshake tomorrow, that’s it.”

The Dutch head coach also commented on the possibility of Frenkie de Jong, now fully fit after recovering from a stomach bug, playing 90 minutes against Spain, saying:

“If he plays well… Sure that would be good, at his club he did regularly as well. We have to see that during the match, how he feels.”

Source: YouTube/OnsOranje