Miralem Pjanic requests to be taken into consideration by Ronald Koeman

Miralem Pjanic was highly-regarded during his spells in Italy with both AS Roma and Juventus, but so far he has struggled to have consistent playing time with FC Barcelona, which has prompted him to publicly complain about his lack of minutes. But is that the right decision?

Miralem Pjanic’s transfer to FC Barcelona was a weird one in the sense that he joined the Catalan club before Ronald Koeman became the new manager for this season, so there was always going to be a bit of an awkward situation if the Dutch coach wasn’t a fan of the Bosnian. And considering how Pjanic, 30-year old, has only started five games so far this season, it makes sense that the former Juventus man is not happy with his current situation.

In a recent press conference, Miralem Pjanic opened up about his situation, stating that he has never accepted the idea of not playing and that he obviously wants to have a lot more minutes. Ironically, Pjanic’s complains arrives just before facing his former team, Juventus, in this week’s fixture of the UEFA Champions League. And while it makes sense from his perspective, it can also be seen as a problem for Koeman because managers should not be given minutes based on demand but rather on merit.

Having said that, though, Sergio Busquets, 32-year old, has been in a very steady decline for the last year or so. Unlike Pjanic who has shown positive performances as Barcelona’s midfielder so far. As a result, Ronald Koeman should consider to deploy the Bosnian player more often because he can have the necessary impact to boost Barcelona’s chances in La Liga.

Pjanic is still a quality player and he can make a much-needed impact at Barcelona, especially in a transition era where players with such a degree of experience are necessary to compensate the lack of experience of young players. And this is a decision that Ronald Koeman has to do.