Ruud Gullit has revealed how Ronald Koeman has helped Ross Barkley return to form for Everton.
Barkley scored during a man-of-the-match performance against West Ham which followed a brief spell of exile from the Blues’ starting line-up.
Gullit worked Koeman during their time together as part of Holland’s iconic European Championship-winning squad in 1988.
And the former Chelsea manager believes his former international team mate has taken the lessons from those playing days in his handling of Barkley.
He said: “If you want to win, you have to wake people up and I have seen Koeman do it already at Everton.
“With his treatment of Ross Barkley in the past few weeks, he has been trying to sting him a little. That is also our way – the Dutch way – a little bit.
“In that era (1988), we had a lot of strong personalities right through the Dutch team. People now say that we were always fighting but that is not true.
“We could argue at times, though, because ultimately we always wanted to win and, if somebody did not do their job at the back then I needed Ronald to tell him that.
“He has high standards and he has been saying to Barkley that if you don’t want to listen to me, then you have to learn the hard way.
“By leaving him out, or taking him off, then Koeman is thinking that maybe he will learn.
“He is trying to show Barkley that this is how you will end up if you don’t do what is necessary for me, but for sure he will also have told the player that he is only doing it because he wants him to become better.
“Koeman has done it to get a reaction and he got one against West Ham on Sunday, when Barkley scored his first league goal since the opening day of the season.
“It was not a great game, or a great performance by Everton but they took their chances against the Hammers and got the win.”