Belo
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 11, 2007
- 12,897
- 10,213
Five issues the coach hasn't solved
The sins which condemn Luis Enrique
Updated 15/02/2017 00:21 CET
Barcelona have thrown away half of their season as early as February and there are several reasons for this fiasco.
To be on the brink of crashing out the Champions League in the last 16 stage when you have the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique in your team is the kind of thing for which heads must roll.
That starts with the coach, with Luis Enrique having been unable to solve the following problems of his team.
1. This Barcelona doesn't play at all and the tactics Unai Emery hit them with were unmatched.
Luis Enrique didn't prepare well for the match and did not find solutions from the bench.
As he himself admitted, he is the main person responsible.
2. They don't control matches.
It has been a long time since Barcelona failed to control matches and a long time since their midfield was repeatedly overwhelmed.
Sergio Busquets is not playing well, Iniesta has spent more time injured than he has on the pitch and nobody even understands who third midfielder is, with Andre Gomes a disaster when he started ahead of Ivan Rakitic.
The Croatian must have done something to upset the Asturian.
3. The right-back position.
The plan for replacing Dani Alves saw Barcelona end up with Sergi Roberto, who is not a natural No.2.
Opponents know this and Luis Enrique has been unable to halt that leak on the right flank.
That lack of planning has been costly.
4. No bench.
At the start of the season there was a lot of talk about the value of Barcelona's building of a second unit, but time has put a lot of players in their place.
Players like Gomes, Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti, Rafinha, Denis Suarez, Arda Turan and Paco Alcacer are not the kind of players who can make a great Barcelona.
It says it all that in the middle of the Parisian debacle Luis Enrique didn't want to make his third substitution.
5. The attitude.
Sometimes a team can become cavalier when it has Messi in the lineup.
Looking at the team's stars, at the MSN, only Neymar comes out with some credit from a night in which Messi disappeared and Suarez was outshined by Edinson Cavani.
The sins which condemn Luis Enrique
Updated 15/02/2017 00:21 CET
Barcelona have thrown away half of their season as early as February and there are several reasons for this fiasco.
To be on the brink of crashing out the Champions League in the last 16 stage when you have the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique in your team is the kind of thing for which heads must roll.
That starts with the coach, with Luis Enrique having been unable to solve the following problems of his team.
1. This Barcelona doesn't play at all and the tactics Unai Emery hit them with were unmatched.
Luis Enrique didn't prepare well for the match and did not find solutions from the bench.
As he himself admitted, he is the main person responsible.
2. They don't control matches.
It has been a long time since Barcelona failed to control matches and a long time since their midfield was repeatedly overwhelmed.
Sergio Busquets is not playing well, Iniesta has spent more time injured than he has on the pitch and nobody even understands who third midfielder is, with Andre Gomes a disaster when he started ahead of Ivan Rakitic.
The Croatian must have done something to upset the Asturian.
3. The right-back position.
The plan for replacing Dani Alves saw Barcelona end up with Sergi Roberto, who is not a natural No.2.
Opponents know this and Luis Enrique has been unable to halt that leak on the right flank.
That lack of planning has been costly.
4. No bench.
At the start of the season there was a lot of talk about the value of Barcelona's building of a second unit, but time has put a lot of players in their place.
Players like Gomes, Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti, Rafinha, Denis Suarez, Arda Turan and Paco Alcacer are not the kind of players who can make a great Barcelona.
It says it all that in the middle of the Parisian debacle Luis Enrique didn't want to make his third substitution.
5. The attitude.
Sometimes a team can become cavalier when it has Messi in the lineup.
Looking at the team's stars, at the MSN, only Neymar comes out with some credit from a night in which Messi disappeared and Suarez was outshined by Edinson Cavani.
