Yeah, but it's hardly a stellar managerial career.
If this was Alex Ferguson there;d be less room for criticism. It's not though. He's been in management for about 15 years and had a mixed bag of results. He doesn't have the stature as a manager to be pulling off tricks like this.
If he wants to go the route he seems to here targeting individual players and giving a blank cheque to others similarly 'failing', then he'll have to take what comes his way.
Have you considered that maybe Koeman has walked into a group of players who let a manager and ultimately a club down last season. A group who towards the end of Moyes and Martinez were a little pampered and he won't make the mistakes of Martinez in allowing them to throw him under the bus?
We can certainly question whether Ross Barkley is the right person to target, or whether he will benefit from such an approach but I have to say if thats his broad strategy I can't say I have an awful lot of sympathy for players who just gave up for a manager last season.
As it happens I actually think Barkley will benefit from his. Or at least he stands the chance of being becoming better, whereas the softly softly approach I do think runs the risk of him not kicking onto the next level.
I also think the honest way Koeman does things downplays the problem. It's not complicated. He was subbed as he gave the ball away too much. It's a simple message and an attainable target of what he has to do better next time.
I'm a big Barkley fan by the way. For 2/3's of last season he was as good a midfielder as any in the league. As was shown on MNF his records stands up against Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard at the same age. The point Carragher made is a good one too though, which is it is at this age all of the above 3 "kicked on". Thats what Ross needs to do now. I do think he will need to toughen up a little.
One final point in this is it is not isolated to just Barkley. Lukaku didn't start straight away when he came back. Deulofeu was dropped when he didn't work hard enough. Bolasie and Williams didn't start straight away. Funes Mori was dropped having done not a lot wrong. Holgate has also been replaced. I am not sure anyone of the above has been treated anymore unfairly than Ross. I suppose it comes back to my original point though, does this squad need a bit of tough love?
