I do not trust Luis Enrique

Trust is essential to relationships. It is something that is not easy to earn and something that should not be given away cheaply. “In Fergie/Arsenè/Pep/Carlo/whoever We Trust” is one of football’s most common stadium banners – a fan base expressing their faith in said leader on the basis of trust. I don’t trust Luis Enrique, and frankly nobody else should either. Let me be clear, this does not mean I am advocating for his dismissal or further demonizing the near satanic reputation of the board many relish in perpetuating in appointing him. I don’t trust Luis Enrique because he has given me no reason to.

Contrary to common belief, Luis Enrique is not a Barça man. He was born and schooled in football in Gijón, spent five years at Real Madrid and then made his name over his final eight seasons as a professional player at Camp Nou. These were not utopian times at FC Barcelona either, nothing like the golden era the majority of Barça nation now expect as the norm. Lucho worked under seven mangers in those eight seasons. The club had no clear philosophy and existed in a constant current of volatility and mostly mediocrity. So that Luis Enrique has that innate understanding of Barça in the mold of a Xavi Hernández is rubbish. I’m not stating this as either positive or negative, but it is a myth that needs to be busted once and for all.

He certainly learnt a great deal about the foundations of the academy during his three seasons with the B team, though that still does not equate him to a Tito Vilanova, an uncompromising disciple of the Barça bible. And for all his success with the reserves (of which two seasons were in the third division where even Barça B’s resources dwarves the competition), his win percentage stands at 48.3%, which aside from the season in progress remains his career best. His one season in Rome, during which people are likely unaware the club sanctioned 90 million euros in gross (64 million net) spending, yielded a 42.1% win ratio. Judging his performance at a club like Celta in a league like La Liga is more nuanced, but the fact is he lost more games than he won (17>14) and left Galicia with a 36.8% win ratio.

Being one of the two best league sides in Spain and qualifying in the Champions League are the bare minimum for any Barça manager afforded a luxury of riches few can dream of. I held my fingers for the first half of the season because I believe in affording people time. I set until the turning of the year as my grace period, which is arguably arbitrary, though I do feel its sufficient time for someone to have set foundations and begun to assemble a recognizable vision, particularly so with a core group of players that are so incredibly established. Maybe I’m the fool, but I don’t see one. In the four matches of consequence this season, a Luis Enrique led Barça lost in Paris, got run over in Madrid, should never have beaten Valencia and then unconvincingly beat Paris on the return.

Tonight Luis Enrique decided to bench Barça’s best attacking performers on a ground without a Barça win since Frank Rijkaard, a ground La Real have beaten Barça when ahead at the half every single time in its history (@MisterChip). What that equates to is Real Sociedad being one of the very few sides in Spain who do not quake in their boots when Barcelona strolls into town. That was crystal clear once again tonight. The blaugrana have just lost their first New Year match since 2005 (@MisterChip) at a stadium everyone else seemed to know spelled danger. And all that on a night when Real Madrid finally lost and presented Luis Enrique with a rare opportunity to close the gap and apply pressure. Unlike for B-Rabbit, this won’t be Luis Enrique’s/Barça’s one opportunity, still, I ask, “Would you capture it or just let it slip?”

Luis Enrique is young and experienced. That’s fine – everybody is by nature so at one point. But I do not trust in Luis Enrique. He has not earned it and has a hell of a lot to prove before I will voice, or anyone should even consider voicing, “In Lucho We Trust.”