What’s the story?
Luis Enrique is set to decide his future at Barcelona on March 9th after Barcelona’s clash with PSG, according to reports in Mundo Deportivo. The former Celta de Vigo manager is under pressure as the Catalan giants now have a chance to win just one trophy - Copa del Rey - this season.
Reports today suggested that Barcelona were looking to replace him with Lionel Messi's favourite manager, Jorge Sampaoli, but Mundo Deportivo suggests that the board has no intentions of sacking Enrique. The Spanish publication have reported that the Barcelona board have let their manager decide his future on his own.
In case you didn’t know...
Barcelona are having a forgettable season so far. They are a point behind Real Madrid in the La Liga, but Los Blancos have played two games less when compared to the Catalan giants.
In the Champions League, Barca are on the verge of being knocked out after a miserable first leg at Paris Saint-German. The French club outplayed the Spanish side in all departments and ran away with a 4-0 win.
The overall performance of Barcelona has been dismal this season with individual brilliance needed for them to scrape out results. A collective effort is lacking at Camp Nou, and the manager's tactics just don't seem to click.
Also Read: Barcelona nothing short of passengers in resounding PSG defeat
The heart of the matter
With the board leaving Enrique's future in his hands, the manager has decided to take a call depending on the Champions League second leg result. They need a miracle to overturn the result as no team has ever come back from a 4-goal deficit to progress in the Champions League era.
The manager has also reportedly lost the faith of his players and the dressing room is said to have split because of the same. The big players have reportedly stopped listening to the manager and have made it clear that they do not want to work under him.
Messi reportedly wants Sampaoli to replace Enrique in the summer, but the club have dismissed these speculations.
What’s next?
Barcelona play Paris Saint-German in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 fixture on March 8th at Camp Nou. The players will be out on the pitch knowing that not only do they play for a place in the last eight but also for their manager's future at the club.
The club have put their transfer plans for the summer on a hold right now as club president, Bartomeu and the technical secretary, Robert Fernandez want to see what decision Enrique takes before making a move in the market.
Sportskeeda’s Take
It's best for Enrique to leave as the players have lost faith and the fans are also turning against him. The club are also suffering as they are not progressing at the rate they should be doing. He is a good manager and would find a job easily elsewhere and with rumours of Wenger leaving, why not try a hand at Arsenal?
