Now that Bayern Munich have parted ways with Carlo Ancelotti, the Bavarians are in search of new manager, and Luis Enrique might just be the right guy for the job.
After the recent sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich are left with significant hole that must be filled. While Willy Sagnol is stepping in as the interim manager, it is unlikely the Bavarians will stick with him for the long term. Instead, they’ll likely opt for another manager who already has experience successfully managing a big European club.
Although most signs point to Thomas Tuchel as Ancelotti’s replacement, perhaps Bayern Munich would be better suited looking in a slightly different direction, the direction of former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique.
Luis Enrique’s career highlight was almost certainly winning the treble with Barcelona in his first season. There are not many managers fortunate enough to coach a team that features Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi (not to mention Barcelona’s many other talents).
Style of play
In MSN, Luis Enrique had one of the best left-wingers in the world, one of the best center-forwards in the world and (almost objectively) the best right-winger in the world. As such, Enrique began his Barcelona career where most managers left, a 4-3-3 with Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta and whoever else filling in the midfield behind them.
With that sort of star power, Enrique simply had to sit back and enjoy as one of the most dangerous attacks in modern football tore apart defenses across Europe.
But over time, things started to change. Most notably, last season’s Champions League round of 16 saw Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain. Paris tore apart Barcelona in the first leg. What happened a week after this defeat is still shocking to watch.
A switch from a 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 Diamond allowed Barcelona to dominate the entire pitch. The Camp Nou stands at 105m by 68m, with PSG midfielder Marco Verratti saying ‘you never reach the end [of the pitch]’. This tactical switch meant that Barca could cover every patch.
Barcelona managed to win 6-1, scoring the winner with the last kick of the game. Impressive as that may be, forgetting that the team were in a position where they had to win by at least 5 goals is where hesitation comes in.
Achievements
Back to back league championships, the quadruple and La Liga Manager of the Year in his first season are impressive enough achievements. Add to that consecutive Spanish cup wins from 2014 to 2016 and the 2016/17 Spanish SuperCup.
Luis Enrique dominated La Liga when he was at Barcelona, winning just about everything he could. But with the many glaring defeats (specifically against Paris Saint-Germain and then Juventus), it is not unusual to question whether it was his team winning those awards rather than his management skills.
Why he’d work at Bayern Munich
With Ancelotti now gone as manager of Bayern Munich, the fans will demand a change in how the team plays. More tactical awareness, a willingness to adapt, taking risks but above all else playing good, exciting football.
The key part of this demand is the willingness to adapt. Bayern’s style has stagnated in terms of movement and tactics, something that could still happen under Enrique’s guidance. The drastic change that Enrique enforced before the second leg against PSG, however, is evidence enough that he does have the ability to make big choices and change the team.
Next: Bayern Munich players trained in secret without Carlo Ancelotti
Additionally, with big-name players in your squad such as Neymar, Luis Suarez and Dani Alves, man management is just as important as team management. Enrique has shown that he can handle big egos. There is no reason to be weary of his possible appointment. While there are more appropriate choices available, Enrique could be the perfect stop-gap for the coming seasons.