Luis Enrique is leaving Barcelona

After Barcelona’s convincing 6-1 win against Sporting Gijón on Wednesday, Luis Enrique put an end to months of speculation and announced he will step down as Barça boss in the summer. 

He told the press that he “won’t be Barcelona coach next season” and “needs to rest”. Enrique has been under enormous criticism all season for the Blaugrana's poor performances, and after two very successful campaigns, he hopes to end his third season on a high note. Club President Josep Bartomeu said on Enrique’s departure: "We accept Luis Enrique's decision. He has been a great a coach. Now is it time to end his spell in the best possible way". 

The search for a new manager will start. Ronald Koeman (Everton), Jorge Sampaoli (Sevilla) and Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur) have been the names speculated the most over the last few weeks. The board is expected to announce the new manager in the near future.

The 46-year-old coach's decision to make the announcement now, is being seen as an attempt to galvanise his players for what remains of this campaign.

He said: 'I will finish this press conference in a different way; I want to announce I will not be continuing as Barcelona coach.

'I want to thank the club for all the faith they have shown in me. These have been three unforgettable years.

'You don't get a lot of rest in this job and I need to rest. 'Hopefully we have three very exciting months left and if the stars align we can come back in the Champions League, and if not we still have the league and the cup.'

The search will now begin for his successor and Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde and Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli are the favourites with Lionel Messi understood to favour the latter.

But Everton's Koeman and Dortmund's Thomas Tuchel are among those coaches that the Barca board will consider, with Koeman having impressed at Everton this season.  

Enrique took over in 2014 and looked on his way out at the halfway point of that first season, having got on the wrong side of Messi.

But he turned things around and ended up winning the treble. He finished the second season having won as many trophies in his first two campaigns as Pep Guardiola.

Like his friend and predecessor in the hotseat he has decided he needs a break from one of the most demanding jobs in football. There were whistles when his name was song by some supporters following Barcelona's disastrous 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.

On Wednesday, supporters seemed to have turned because when his name was sung by the Camp Nou's singing section there was no adverse reaction. 

Those supporters now know they will have a new coach next season.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4272864/Luis-Enrique-leave-Barcelona-end-season.html#ixzz4aBxfdFEi
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How Barcelona lost their identity

On Wednesday morning, as the Spanish press hammered Barcelona after the 4-0 debacle in Paris, Catalan newspaper Sport declared that ‘This is not Barça’. 

The headline could be interpreted in several ways. The heavy nature of the defeat was certainly uncharacteristic for such a merited side, but even more so was the nature of it: the way Barça had lost control of midfield, stuttered on the ball, cracked under pressure. They didn’t use to lose like this. 

A few days earlier, Lluis Mascaró had written in the same paper that “Barça are not what they were”. The conclusion was the same: the style based on 99% possession and trillions of passes had been watered down by Luis Enrique, while the reliance on individuals had grown. Gone was their intricate passing, their midfield dominance, their sense of identity. Barça, Mascaró wrote, had become “just another team”. 

His argument wasn't unfounded. In the first year under Luis Enrique, Barça tweaked their style so that the ball was moved faster to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez. They became more direct, stronger at counter-attacks and more reliant on their forwards. But the system was also far simpler, and the midfield was practically bypassed. 

It worked well for 18 months, but now opponents have figured out that they can cut off the supply line to the forwards by pressing high. Barça no longer have a system in place which moves the ball through midfield; what was once their speciality has all but vanished, and it may well cost Luis Enrique his job.

Losing control

The contrasts are certainly stark to the passing machine Guardiola built from 2008 to 2012, and which was then maintained by Tito Vilanova. There was more control and the central midfielders had greater influence. As part of the 4-3-3, they dropped deep to get the ball, while the full-backs pushed up and the wingers moved inside to support lone striker Messi. The ultimate purpose was to set up Messi in the final third. “It’s my job to get you there, the rest is up to you,” Guardiola said.