The departure of the fair is painful, but Barca can’t live in the past, the coach says

BARCELONA, Aug 14 (Reuters) – Lionel Messi is now in Barcelona’s past and the club must live in the present, coach Ronald Koeman said on Saturday as his team prepares for a new LaLiga season without their biggest player of all time – and is fighting through the financial crisis.

Barca is still leaning towards the departure of his best-ever scorer to St Germain in Paris because they can’t afford to give the Argentine a new deal.

However, Koeman said it’s time to look to the future as Real Sociedad’s home game, played on Sunday, progresses rapidly.

“It’s painful for all Barcelona fans given what Messi has done for the club, but we can’t live in the past,” Koeman said at the news conference. “I’m excited about the new season and I hope the fans are excited too. We have to live in the present and not the past.

“People have talked a lot about the Mess, and that’s normal for his efficiency and quality. We don’t have him anymore, but we still have a very strong team. There are no excuses, we have games to play and points to win.”

Barca had good news as they were able to register new signatures for Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay after Gerard Pique agreed to cut salaries to bring the club in line with the league’s financial fair play rules.

The club said in a statement that Pique had agreed to a “significant” pay cut, adding that they were negotiating with another club captain Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberton for a full team discount to ease the club’s financial problems.

“We all know the situation of the club and that it needs help, so you have to appreciate the attitude of Gerard, Sergi Roberton and Busquets,” Koeman added.

“It shows they’re real club men.”

The Dutch coach added that Pedri and Eric Garcia are ready to face Sociedad despite the fact that they played in the Spanish Olympic final last week after a heavy Euro 2020 campaign with the national team.

But he is missing important players, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen recovering from knee surgery, striker Ousmane Dembele from muscle problems and new player Sergio Aguero expected to be in October.

Reported by Richard Martin; Edited by Hugh Lawson

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