4 Reasons why Luis Enrique is the right man to manage FC Barcelona
Luis Enrique has proved his critics wrong over the last few weeksFC Barcelona hit crisis when they lost away to David Moyes’s Real Sociedad. Rumors of a rift between star player Lionel Messi and manager Luis Enrique came to shore after Enrique benched Messi. Messi then decided skip the training session. Calls for Enrique’s sacking started taking place and the club hit crisis when their Sports Director Andoni Zubizarreta was sacked and presidential elections were called for after the season. However, on the field the team started performing well and are currently on an 8 match unbeaten run with the Copa del Rey in striking distance after the elimination of their 2 main rivals – Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.Amidst the crisis, Enrique’s side managed to beat Atletico Madrid thrice in one month, a feat they couldn’t achieve in 6 meetings last season. Their ability to break strong defences has increased and their magnificent attacking trio – MSN looks more and more formidable with each game. What has Enrique done that has instilled the fear factor of the Guardiola era? This article explores a few of the improvements he has made since becoming the manager.
#1 Use of La Masia Players
With the transfer ban looming over FC Barcelona, the youth system has become an integral part of the team. Luis Enrique is actually the only manager for Barcelona to have given a chance to so many talented youngsters since Pep Guardiola left for Bayern Munich. Barcelona have one of the best youth systems in the world, producing legends like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta among many others.This season has already shown us the bright future they have in their ranks.
Luis Enrique has given a chance to many talented players like Sandro Ramirez, Alen Halilovic, Gerard Gumbau, Munir El Haddadi, Adama Traore, Edgar Ie, Sergi Samper and Jordi Masip who all have made their first team debuts this season. They showcased their talents in the Copa del Rey fixtures against Huesca, where they won 4-0 away and 8-1 at home. These youngsters give some rest to stars like Messi and Neymar and hence reduce their workload.
Last season, this immense workload led to a serious injury to Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes and Carles Puyol. Enrique’s squad rotations have ensured that no player has been seriously injured apart from Thomas Vermalen, who was injured even before joining the Catalan giants.This has kept them fit, fresh and raring to go in every game they play and also allowed youngsters to show their worth on the big stage.