Top 50 Ronald Koeman Quotes

I like to be in Europe – it’s important for our experience. It’s good for the club, the players and the fans.

I hate players who always play the ball back to the goalkeeper.

I know what it is like when a player has big ambitions.

I don’t have any problems with criticism.

It’s easy to give your opinion in front of the television without any responsibility.

I still believe in ‘how you train, how you play.’

I think it is always good to know what is happening around the club.

I like young players when they are still open to learn and behave normally, not driving a Porsche after three matches in the first team.

I respect and admire the Premier League.

Old Trafford is not really intimidating, no. I think the Man United fans are always behind the team and it’s a fantastic place to play football.

It is always difficult when there is a lack of confidence and a lack of belief but it can be good for me to see the reaction of the team in a difficult time.

In football a championship team is never bought, it’s built with time and patience.

In Holland we have always viewed Villa as an important club with a tradition of being powerful in Europe when I was younger, so I would be very interested in managing them if the job was offered to me.

It’s always important with a young one in your team that he needs to be comfortable in the position he plays.

A new project can offer you a new challenge.

I like to play attacking football, but I think the big difference is that we expect a lot more from our strikers, to do more pressing and to keep compact. We like to play a high line defensively and press the ball.

When I was a player it was not normal that I would cook at home but now that I have more time, I do sometimes. I like it, I like to cook and maybe sometime I would like to have some lessons.

We are football players and we like to win games.

I know English football people say you have to look out for young players, that maybe they can play 15 or 20 games but not more. They are afraid. I am not afraid to put young players in. I am not afraid but maybe they are.

I’ve coached in Holland, Portugal and Spain and not only won trophies each time, but taken sides to the latter stages of the Champions League.

It’s not only Van Dijk who can stop Ronaldo. But Ronaldo is good enough to create against really good defenders.

If you are a happy man then you can give your best.

It’s an easy answer, as a manager, to say: ‘I need time.’

It’s all about the qualities of the players. The better the players, the easier it is for the manager.

One of the things I’d bring to Villa if I was in charge is the idea that winning is important in football, but winning while playing offensive football is the best of all.

I don’t read the comments of fans, no.

What I like is to bring the best team for the fans, and if we have that then we need to perform and we need success, but that is what I like and what I have had all my life in football.

It is not always possible, but the best plan is always to keep hold of your best players.

When you build the house, you don’t start with the roof.

I had a good contract at Southampton, the managers in the Premier League are very well paid, but in football you need ambition.

We have to respect the opponents but we also have to believe in ourselves.

Becoming Netherlands coach could be a nice end to my career.

That’s the nicest part of football; you can’t do everything to stop a player.

I accept that everyone is entitled to his opinion and as a coach, I don’t run away from criticism.

When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality. But you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything. And that will cause clashes.

My whole football life is pressure. If I don’t get pressure from outside I put pressure on myself.

I like my life and I like to be positive.

If players know their role it is easier to keep to them.

I know myself that I am a manager who really gives young players a chance when they deserve it.

I’d prefer to have 10 players scoring 10-15 goals than one scoring 25.

I managed Zlatan when he was young and sometimes also difficult! But, okay, that is normal.

Some players need pressure to get the best out of themselves.

I sort of collect watches.

If I get the chance to coach Netherlands, I would like to take that chance.

We know it’s impossible sometimes to have good defending against Cristiano Ronaldo but we want to keep the ball, with good possession, as then he can do nothing in attack.

Full compliments to everybody in Southampton because the support of the fans was amazing and the spirit and the belief of the players, it’s very enjoyable for the manager.

Daley Blind, Georginio Wijnaldum and Kevin Strootman too. They are examples of how you should behave as a top player.

Coaching Netherlands remains one of my ambitions.

Messi is the greatest, but he has always been surrounded by other great players.

I think it’s normal that you will lose players if you don’t play every season in the Champions League, because that’s the intention for every player to be part of that.