As widely speculated, FC Barcelona has confirmed the appointment of Luis Enrique as the First Team Manager for the next season. The two year deal would see him manage the club till the end of 2015-16 season. But then whether he will continue or not will depend definitely on the success of next season. This announcement was just a mere formality. Everyone knew that Luis Enrique would take over after Tata Martino announced his departure following the La Liga loss to Atletico Madrid. A day before Luis Enrique has announced in a press conference his departure from Celta de Vigo. Long before that there were serious speculations about him taking over from Martino, especially a very much publicized secret meeting between him and Barca Sporting Director Zubizarreta. It is believed that Luis Enrique is the Sporting director's pick.
Now there is no introduction needed for Luis Enrique as a player for Barca fans. He started his career with Sporting Gijon before moving to Real Madrid. He spent five seasons with them. After that he moved to FC Barcelona in a free transfer and became the fans favourite even though there was a bit of suspicion in the beginning among Barca fans. To become a Barca legend among fans especially after playing for Real Madrid is a no mean thing, and that was what the former FC Barcelona captain achieved. He started his managerial stint at Barca B, replacing Pep Guardiola who became the first team coach. He took the B team in to the second division, a league where our proud boys have exelled well recently.
Later he had a not so successful outing with Roma. He struggled in Italy to adjust with their playing style and constant friction with Francesco Totti made it very difficult to continue. After that he took reigns of Celta de Vigo, a team who was definitely destined to become a part of La Liga's relegation battle. His success has to be defined solely in terms of the fact that he managed to keep Celta way out of the relegation struggle finishing 9th in the league and also defeating Real Madrid in the process. That defeat to Luis Enrique's team ended Real Madrid's La Liga title dream.
How Luis Enrique will survive at Barca is to be seen? But at least there is a belief that he will do well as he know the players and the style. But his friction with Totti at Roma makes it interesting to see how he handle Barca players. The early signs we are getting is that Luis Enrique is exactly in control of the transfer dealings. Unlike a Martino or a Vilanova, he has not allowed Zubi to bulldoze him. Regardless of that, he has a huge job in hand. To rebuild the side back to its full glory may need a calm and precise mind. If he tries to overhaul the system entirely, then it could all spiral into disaster. As I have said many times before, the club only needs to address the deficiencies in a number of positions.
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