Luis Enrique Sack watch

After this first half humiliation by Eusebio, one has to wonder if Luis Enrique lost it.

His awful signins. His constant marginalization of La Masia players (Rafinha being permabenched although he has been one of the players of the season for us).

He used to set up our team nicely but we don't do any of the basics well now.

Turn it around or go.

Gomes poor man's Isco.

Would rather go with him than someone unknown. This season is probably done and dusted as it is. Never a big fan of lucho but would like to give him time, I think the guy has earned it.

free_cat wrote:After this first half humiliation by Eusebio, one has to wonder if Luis Enrique lost it.

His awful signins. His constant marginalization of La Masia players (Rafinha being permabenched although he has been one of the players of the season for us).

He used to set up our team nicely but we don't do any of the basics well now.

Turn it around or go.

Did he ever have it or has he been constantly saved by his players? What has he ever done that made us think "Oh that was a brilliant managerial move"?

We have been dominated for 75 minutes and all he has done is sub Rakitic. He spent the entirity of the second half sulking in the bench, without taking any decision or giving instructions to the players.
Only thing he did, was to instruct Tee Stegen to go long.
Simply shameful.

@barrilete: not for one second anyone other than Futbol believed him to be a brilliant manager, but he had some things going. He made our team press well and run for a year and a half. Also, we scored a lot from set pieces for a while, thanks to Unzues set pieces plays.
We also were very fundamentalist on building from the back, and quite good at it, until this season.
I don't know when will we stop signing coaches and players who have never done anything of merit before us...

I honestly agree - I wouldn't have an issue with the board looking for replacements. Our form this season has been pretty shite and he has done nothing to note to show that he understands the issues/what it takes to turn things around.

I don't get what Rafinha has to do to prove himself a better starter right now for us than Gomes. Lucho doesn't even bother using him.

I don't have an issue with Nerman only having 6 goals this year, because he setting up plenty of them for Messi/Suarez. But Suarez is the one that's having an off season and it's not helping anything.

Luis Enrique: "The squad is the best we've had during these years, the coach is the same moron as usual" [g14]

Luis Enrique: "Do I like Clos Gómez for the Clásico? Physically, you mean? I don't even remember what he looks like..."

He sucks. Like why play Vidal today? He is obviously gonna be sold in the winter, if there was ever a time to play a B player and try someone new at RB, it was today. Also, there was no CDM in the midfield today, attack set up was awkward. His subs were a joke (for a few games now, he's been making all the same issues).

He is a joke. I never liked him from the start, and felt he was carried allot on whatever form Messi and Iniesta are in. But HE himself, I think is clueless.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38161982

danyjr wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38161982

Why? It wasn't Enrique who put Messi on right wing like the article suggests, but Messi himself. I doubt Enrique would ever found that out. Awful knowledge from BBC.

The article states a very sobering point: A win in the Clasico and this potential sacking becomes a mute point for now. Though, like Zidane, both clubs are just a "crisis" away from the latest firing so I guess it is only a natural progression.

My views on Lucho, as a rival fan, would and should always be taken with the notion that I want him to lose all the games possible. That being said, I've always considered him pragmatic and stubborn in his thinking. He found the formula that would win him the majority of the games that would be played throughout a given season and until said wins start to dry up, he is gonna continue using it regardless of the many criticisms or opinions. After all, it is his job and livelihood that is on the line here.

Of course, doing the same thing over and over is gonna become stale eventually and they are teams that have the talent and skill to eventually find a way to dismantle said strategy. To be fair, I honestly see why he is liked and not liked. He does not tinker during a match withhis most tactical "innovation" is simply to put Pique up front which has been done already and the actual bypassing of the midfield is very much un-Barca like.

But his team wins. A lot. Might be in spite of him but he is in charge so that's just getting into technicalities. A treble and a double are an amazing achievement which I really can't emphasis how much that shouldn't be ignored. Did not know he was into cycling. Neat.

We are probably stuck with him till the end of the season...

tbh we should have won the clasico with the chances we had

enrique not to blame here

Not to blame for subbing in Arda who made the stupid foul that led to the goal?

Not to blame for instructing Masche, our worst aerial defender, to mark Ramos, the best aerial threat?

Not to blame for playing out of form Homes for 75 minutes and subbing Rakitic before him, who was playing sensibly better?

His assistant is in charge of set pieces if i remember correctly

Subbing Arda for Neymar was sensible, Neymar was playing like shit. What happened after couldn't have been influenced

Can't understand why Gomes started myself. Probably because he's the more defensive minded than Rafinha and Denis

Barcelona need a total reform. The team has been left in shit for too long and it has to stop. I'm talking about a reform like when Laporta came in and drastically changed a decade of misery from Gaspart and co.

1- Bartomeu and his board should go. The guy is neither a football man nor a businessman. Him and his board have made extraordinary mistakes that have directly caused this club to its demise. The plethora of sports-related, financial and legal issues surrounding the club has been astounding.

2- The coach needs to go. I know he won a CL on his debut season but so have many flop managers. His tactics, choice of players, substitutions are so basic and dated that make any average opposition coach look classy. Mistakes are being repeated by manager and also players without them being addressed for a long time now. Oh and Luis Enrique's use of youth players has been abysmal too.

3- Change of staff (team):

GK:  I am not convinced about Ter Stegen at all. His ball playing skills have been average and decision making not world class. But he should be given time to adapt as GK is not the most crucial area.

DF: Mathieu out Laporte in. Sign a RB (don't know who). It is mind boggling that the club didn't even attempt to sign on last season after losing the best RB in club's history.

M: Gomes out. Sign two classy players (I suggest Verratti and Ramsey) and also a youth player with good potential (Maxime Lopez).

FW: Alcácer out. Griezmann would be ideal but he is likely to cost a ton of money and he wouldn't like to sit on the bench either. Regardless Barcelona need a replacement winger.

4- La Masia is not doing well. It seems like all the work of Bartomeu's board were focused on making La Masia look good rather than function well. Reforms here too. Barça need a fresh faces who can step up when they are needed.

Myesyats wrote:His assistant is in charge of set pieces if i remember correctly

Subbing Arda for Neymar was sensible, Neymar was playing like shit. What happened after couldn't have been influenced

Can't understand why Gomes started myself. Probably because he's the more defensive minded than Rafinha and Denis

Lucho is Unzue's boss. His responsibility.

Off course it can be influenced, it didn't make sense to sub in Arda.

Gomes isn't more defensive minded than anyone, he is the worst defender on our team and only completed 3 ball recoverys in 75 minutes for Rakitic's 6 in 60, Busquets 6 in 90 or Iniesta's 2 in 20.

Lucho had nothing to do in our success and he certainly doesn't have anything to do with the current slump. It was always about MSN and other guys supporting them.
The problem now is MSN is not clicking and neither do we have a strong supporting cast to draw them out of the current slump. There are two major issues that need to be addressed though i.e iniesta replacement and good right back.
I have been ranting about iniesta replacement for sometime now. The difference this guy makes when he is on field is quite extraordinary. No need to look far just take example of classico.
when iniesta came on we suddenly played with more penetration, created more chance and withstood the pressing quite easily, something which have been struggling to do all season. Hence we need to replace the guy with someone very good, some random scrub like Gomes ain't gonna work.
Second we need more assurance in our defence. We kinda have decent CBs, a decent lb in digne but RB position needs to be taken care of. Roberto should have been a temporary arrangement. God forbid if bale was healthy he would have created havoc on that side.
In a nutshell we need quality in at least two above mentioned areas and we need it badly.