Luis Enrique

[DennyCrane]

I'm not saying the club did very wrong in choosing Enrique, the choices are obviously limited (although I find it funny how we are the only ones who choose from leftover coaches, while other clubs simply get the coaches they want from other teams because they find a way to), but now that we know who he is as a manager, it's time to move on. A less-than-world-famous coach is OK as long as he's not a nutjob like Enrique.

As long as this club is hell bent on finding a spiritual successor to Pep and measures coach quality in amounts of Pep-congruence it'll continue to be this way. Shades of this borderline obsessive compulsive behaviour are present on any level of this club by the way; just wait and see how Laporta will ride the nostalgia wave come next elections for example. It'll probably take close to a decade until this club realizes that there is no turning back.

 

[rixxer]

As long as this club is hell bent on finding a spiritual successor to Pep and measures coach quality in amounts of Pep-congruence it'll continue to be this way. Shades of this borderline obsessive compulsive behaviour are present on any level of this club by the way; just wait and see how Laporta will ride the nostalgia wave come next elections for example. It'll probably take close to a decade until this club realizes that there is no turning back.

Just can't agree more, Denny. Simply but well said.
lets give a Lucho a chance at least or just let it go.

 

[Ini8]

This forum is so depressing. The players are shit, Lucho is even more shit, just fire him ASAP!!!! Never mind that we're through to the next round, only 2 points behind Madrid, and have actually played quite well recently. Never mind that it's Lucho's first season with us and the fact that new coaches inevitably need time to adapt. Never mind that people were shouting for something new. No, he's an idiot for not making us play exactly like we played the last 6 seasons and he should pay for it!

I understand that people are ruined by success, but I find it hard to believe that's all. Is it also that people don't understand how football works? Or that their memories are incredibly short? Or that there's some mysterious bout of hysteria that's making everyone lose their wits?

Many football forums are bipolar. One week, everything is fine, but it all goes to shit the next week. That's what happens when when it only takes seconds to minutes to write a post and people are frustrated. Such are us football fans.

 

[instinct]

I'm pro Lucho, at least until the end of the season.

inb4 Cule4Life says that I'm a ''hipster''

 

[dakt]

Had high hopes during the summer, but looks like we're stuck in yet another crisis. There's no other option but watch how this season will develop. I know it's a football, but I don't have much confidence in our team against any opponent....not to mention CL.
It's fucked up situation for Lucho and I know it's not easy for him. Hope he proves us wrong after this season ends.

 

[Luftstalag14]

As long as this club is hell bent on finding a spiritual successor to Pep and measures coach quality in amounts of Pep-congruence it'll continue to be this way. Shades of this borderline obsessive compulsive behaviour are present on any level of this club by the way; just wait and see how Laporta will ride the nostalgia wave come next elections for example. It'll probably take close to a decade until this club realizes that there is no turning back.

Well said, bravo Dennycrane!

 

[Luftstalag14]

This forum is so depressing. The players are shit, Lucho is even more shit, just fire him ASAP!!!! Never mind that we're through to the next round, only 2 points behind Madrid, and have actually played quite well recently. Never mind that it's Lucho's first season with us and the fact that new coaches inevitably need time to adapt. Never mind that people were shouting for something new. No, he's an idiot for not making us play exactly like we played the last 6 seasons and he should pay for it!

I'd argue that we have not played well at all, despite some of our recent victories. To me, we won those games not because of Enrique's tactical work coming through, rather we won those games DESPITE Enrique's tactical mess, thanks largely to individual brilliance again. In short, our victories could not be attributed to Enrique and his work, in my opinion.

I am more OK with us playing very well but losing some games due to luck, poor finishing etc. than winning some games despite playing poorly for the most part. Individual brilliance can not bail us out every single time.

And nobody is expecting Enrique or anyone to bring us back to the Pep era. That era is over. Just play good football and play it well to win, that's all most of us are asking for.

 

[Cule4life]

As long as this club is hell bent on finding a spiritual successor to Pep and measures coach quality in amounts of Pep-congruence it'll continue to be this way. Shades of this borderline obsessive compulsive behaviour are present on any level of this club by the way; just wait and see how Laporta will ride the nostalgia wave come next elections for example. It'll probably take close to a decade until this club realizes that there is no turning back.

I'm pro Lucho, at least until the end of the season.

inb4 Cule4Life says that I'm a ''hipster''

Instinct is a hipster

 

[Ghostmaster]

I think Lucho tactics actually gave space for our forwards to score those goals against PSG. Look how Neymar and Pedro are far away from each other and PSG defenders leaving tons of space. He might be on to something here if they actually practiced this lineup more often.

 

[Flavia]

I'm pro Lucho, at least until the end of the season.

inb4 Cule4Life says that I'm a ''hipster''

El hipstolero

I'm not against him. I don't understand most of his decisions, but I sure hope he can somehow make Barça win something.

 

[Kasperroed]

I think Lucho tactics actually gave space for our forwards to score those goals against PSG. Look how Neymar and Pedro are far away from each other and PSG defenders leaving tons of space. He might be on to something here if they actually practiced this lineup more often.

I'm not quite sure why you think that picture seems positive? No players between PSG's midfield/defence leaving Suarez entirely isolated. It is so easy for D. Luiz to keep Suarez away from the ball unless Suarez actually takes runs back into midfield, which he should'nt really do that often. However, i like the fact that Pedro and Neymar are standing so wide creating much space.

If we actuelly were to play this system on a regular basis, we should find a way to incorporate most of our best players. For me, there is simply not space for Iniesta in a 3-4-3. In that formation i would play something like this:

Barvo
Pique - Masch - Bartra
Pedro - Rackitic - Busquets - Alba
Messi - Suarez - Neymar

Maybe Xavi for Rackitic, but i don't think he is physically up for the task for 90 minutes.

 

[KingMessi]

Bartra should be on the right side of that defense, but yeah. That looks good.

 

[Ghostmaster]

I'm not quite sure why you think that picture seems positive? No players between PSG's midfield/defence leaving Suarez entirely isolated. It is so easy for D. Luiz to keep Suarez away from the ball unless Suarez actually takes runs back into midfield, which he should'nt really do that often. However, i like the fact that Pedro and Neymar are standing so wide creating much space.

If we actuelly were to play this system on a regular basis, we should find a way to incorporate most of our best players. For me, there is simply not space for Iniesta in a 3-4-3. In that formation i would play something like this:

Barvo
Pique - Masch - Bartra
Pedro - Rackitic - Busquets - Alba
Messi - Suarez - Neymar

Maybe Xavi for Rackitic, but i don't think he is physically up for the task for 90 minutes.

I think it's positive compared to what was last season - teams packing the midfield with bodies and 4 defenders chasing Messi all the time, now Messi and Neymar has space to make runs (for example Neymar's second goal). I agree with you if we actually tried Rakitic and Xavi in this system they could find away to explore this this space with through balls for MSN. Rakitic is also capable of giving long passes the likes of Mascherano gave to Suarez.

 

[DrPepper]

I think it's positive compared to what was last season - teams packing the midfield with bodies and 4 defenders chasing Messi all the time, now Messi and Neymar has space to make runs (for example Neymar's second goal).

There's a difference between scoring a goal on the counter attack (Neymar's goal) and scoring as a result of build up play (Messi's goal). We are actually quite decent at counter attacking - not in the traditional sense, but in the modern way -, but in patient build up play we're getting worse each year tbh.

 

[Irish_Cules]

I think Lucho has to be given credit for attempting to evolve the way the team plays. Getting the same group of players to play the same way we did under Pep hugely difficult. It would just be watered down version of that team. The players are being presented with a new challenge with his tactics. I admit that I'm baffled a lot of the time and I'm not convinced by the performances but let's see where we're at by the end of the season.