Barca's Koeman Has No Issue with Players' Commitment

Pressure is mounting on Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman after Thursday's goalless draw with Cadiz. (AFP)
Pressure is mounting on Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman after Thursday's goalless draw with Cadiz. (AFP)
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Barca's Koeman Has No Issue with Players' Commitment

Pressure is mounting on Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman after Thursday's goalless draw with Cadiz. (AFP)
Pressure is mounting on Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman after Thursday's goalless draw with Cadiz. (AFP)

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman had no complaints about the attitude and commitment of his team after Thursday's 0-0 draw with Cadiz and instead lamented the raft of injuries that robbed him of several first-choice players.

The goalless draw left Barca seventh in La Liga on nine points from five games, already seven points behind leaders Real Madrid, and heaped more pressure on Koeman, who was dismissed in the dying seconds of the game for dissent..

Barcelona President Joan Laporta had backed Koeman as manager before the match but also said he had to start producing better football and that the board would not shirk tough decisions if they needed to be made.

While disappointed that Barca had failed to pick up all three points for a second successive match, Koeman said it was more important to look at how the team had played overall.

"It's not always down to a result. We have to analyze what the team did, the attitude of the team, the commitment of the team and I can't complain about any of that from this game," the Dutchman told reporters.

"I'm not happy, of course, because we had four or five clear chances and we didn't score any goals," he said, adding that the sending off of Frenkie de Jong made it even more difficult.

"What I take away is the attitude, not my own personal situation. Because if we win it looks like we carry on, and if not we look for another coach - and that's a question for you."

Koeman said the absence of a number of first team players had contributed to their lackluster display. Barca, who were held to a 1-1 draw at home against lowly Granada on Monday, were missing Jordi Alba, Sergio Aguero and Pedri among others.

"I have said several times you always have to try and win every game," Koeman added.

"But you have to be realistic, look at the squad we have and the players missing ... we've got seven starters out."



‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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‘Lucky’ De Minaur Saves Three Match Points to Lift Washington Open Title 

(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
(L-R) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Alex De Minaur of Australia pose with the men's singles trophies after the men's singles finals match on the final day of the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 at William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center on July 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a 5-7 6-1 7-6(3) win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the ATP 500 event on Sunday.

The Australian number one, who lost the 2018 final to Alexander Zverev, felt he rode his luck to secure his 10th career title and ensure he will enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month's US Open.

The two 26-year-olds exchanged breaks early in the opening set before Spain's Davidovich Fokina seized control by breaking again and closed out the set with the help of some crisp forehand winners.

De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, wrapping up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest.

The Spaniard looked on course for his first career title when he broke to grab the lead in the decider, but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, sending a forehand long to hand the break back to seventh seed De Minaur.

Davidovich Fokina's frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur's serve, and the Australian then capitalized on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest.

"I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title," De Minaur said at the trophy presentation.

"Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure," he added, gesturing to the trophy.

"You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you."

Davidovich Fokina recalled that he had required a wild card to play in the US capital last year and was pleased to have at least guaranteed a rise to a career high world number 19 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

"He deserved the win, he was fighting every ... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," Davidovich Fokina said.

"We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder."