Luis Enrique set to take over as Roma coach.

Sky Italia, ANSA and a host of other Italian and Spanish papers are reporting that all that's missing is a signature from Enrique, who is expected in Rome near the end of the week to sign a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd year.

He's also keen to bring at least 4 players from Barcelona B with him as well as Ivan de la Pena ( a former Lazio player) as his assistant coach. Jonathan Soriano, Pichichi winner in the Segunda with 32 goals, is the one Barca B player most heavily linked with following his former boss to Italy. The other 3 players have been identified as Jeffren Suarez, Oriol Romeu, and Martin Montoya.

My thoughts are that its a positive, ambitious move from the new American leadership as well as Walter Sabatini. It signals a distinct change in the way we aim to play our football. His experience as a youth coach will be very much welcome as we have one of the strongest youth academies in Italy with many players ready to make the jump up to the first team.

My only worry is that while Luis Enrique is known for his possession-oriented attack minded football (a.k.a the Barca way), our defense may get neglected and in an increasingly less shot-shy Serie A, we may concede quite a few goals: Something that won't help the already battered reputation of Serie A defenses in recent seasons.

I hope he wont turn Roma into a grooming agency for Barca

All of a sudden, AS Roma looks terrible. They should be wary of the company they keep, ugh, hire.

meh, italian coaches > all

“I’m happy with the decision I have made and enthusiastic about marrying the Roma project. It is a winning one and I am an ambitious and winning Coach,” he added.

“I practice attacking football, a spectacular brand designed to entertain and attract people to the stadium.

“People still don’t know me in Italy, but I’ll erase the doubts and at the end of the season we will look at the facts.”

Recent whispers suggested that Enrique would look to bring some of his present players with him from Spain to Serie A.

“I’ll look to work with the best players, those who I will find in Rome and those who I’ll be able to bring with me from Barcelona,” he stated.


http://www.football-italia.net/jun8n.html

Roma played the best football in Italy under the bald one.
He needs to bring that game and not the Barca philosophy.