Riqui Puig will not feature for FC Barcelona as the Catalans take on Deportivo Alavés on Saturday, as the youngster continues to struggle for minutes in Ronald Koeman’s set up.
“It’s a technical decision, normally we have 23 players, but for me it is too many, the best is 20 or 21 players,” the manager said.
Koeman has cut Puig’s minutes strongly compared to his predecessor, Quique Setién, even though Puig is a more experienced player now. Setién was sacked after a disastrous end to last season.
The Dutchman has changed the formation from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, and perhaps in part due to that, has not looked upon Puig quite as favorably.