Big Decisions for Luis Enrique Before Barcelona's Liga Season Starts
Luis Enrique has some big decisions to make for Barcelona as we approach the beginning of the 2015/16 Liga campaign.
After an astonishingly successful debut campaign as Barca manager, Enrique will be aiming to keep the Catalans one step ahead of the competition and remain at the top of the tree in La Liga and Europe.
If we loop back to this time 12 months ago, the manager was afforded a short grace period as he felt his way into the role, but the honeymoon period was soon over once Barca started to fall well behind rivals Real Madrid.
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Ultimately, Enrique's way of doing the job proved to be successful, but now the hard work really begins.
His team will be expected to hit the ground running and produce from the very first whistle of the opening league fixture.
However, despite securing the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, the manner of the same left a few question marks. A disastrous showing in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao has pushed last season's successes firmly into the background.
The dream of another sextuple already destroyed, the notoriously pessimistic Barca fans have already shown their hands in terms of their support.
Given the nature of the performances and results from pre-season, arguably the first decision the manager has to make is whether to follow his example of last season and rotate the team constantly in the first half of the campaign.
Real Madrid started strongly in 2014/15 but rapidly ran out of steam in the second half of the season. Barca, for all of the copy suggesting otherwise, built up a head of steam until January, when they really exploded into life.
The main bone of contention with Enrique was his penchant for consistently changing his starting lineup. By the time of the Real Sociedad game in January, the first of 2015, Lucho had begun 29 games with 29 different lineups.
Arguably, if there is to be a genuine chance of Barca retaining La Liga and becoming the first team in the modern era to retain the Champions League, then a rotation policy of sorts is necessary.
Aside from Jordi Alba's hamstring tweak and Neymar's omission because of mumps, Enrique does at least initially have the luxury of a decent-sized and fit squad to choose from.
That said, from a defensive perspective, Enrique can't have been happy with the way any of his back line performed in the second half of the Sevilla match. More so at San Mames.
Those Barca B players who were due a promotion who haven't yet been either released or loaned elsewhere present another relatively immediate decision for Enrique.
Alex Grimaldo is probably the only reserve player with a chance to integrate fully with the squad this season. Although Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu can cover for Alba, there's no reason why Grimaldo can't make the step up, even if he only makes a handful of appearances against perceived weaker opposition.
His elevation to the senior side might buck up the ideas of Vermaelan and others who, quite frankly, seem to be resting on their laurels.
There seems to be little chance of players such as Sergi Samper and Alen Halilovic making an impression in their usual positions because of the calibre of player they are trying to dislodge.
Indeed, player choices in the various areas of the team are likely to dominate Enrique's thinking before the opening fixture and beyond.
The integration of Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan for example.
Both new signings are unable to play until January, but once they are available for selection, it's an interesting conundrum as to whether they are afforded an immediate route into the side or, despite their six months on the sidelines, a longer sabbatical is necessary.
The expectation from both would surely be to make inroads as quickly as practicable, and those in the boardroom might be of the same opinion given the financial outlay during the close season.
Enrique would be a brave man indeed to remove Dani Alves and captain Andres Iniesta if both are at the top of their game come January, assuming both new signings are to be enrolled in their usual positions.
Despite Iniesta's age, and that he wasn't at this best for large parts of 2014/15, he remains one of the untouchables of the side.
That would leave Ivan Rakitic as the fall guy for Turan, but given how well the Croatian has performed throughout his tenure in Blaugrana, it would be a shock to see him benched in favour of the ex-Atletico Madrid man.
It's the sort of problem a lot of managers profess to wanting to have, but rarely has a team had the dressing room equilibrium Barca had in the second half of their treble-winning season. To upset that halfway through another could risk success at the business end of 2015/16.
Interestingly, president Josep Maria Bartomeu was unequivocal when questioned on Turan's acquisition in an interview with Cadena Ser (via ESPN FC), saying it was Enrique's decision to bring the player on board.
Lest we forget that, come January, Barca are able to buy players again without restriction from FIFA. And with the likes of Paul Pogba being linked to the club over the summer, the club's—or more pertinently, Enrique's—buying intentions will either signal another Galactico purchase for the Catalans or the restructuring of La Masia to become one of the pillars of the club model once again.
The latter has not been as productive over the last few seasons despite the unprecedented success the club has enjoyed.
Defeated presidential candidate Joan Laporta was at pains to point out, per Marca (via Alec Fenn of Goal), that Bartomeu would "destroy La Masia."
Yet if we are to believe Enrique was behind the Turan deal, then his views would've arguably been at odds with Laporta and, in turn, a large majority of club members in any event.
The manager is therefore left in a difficult position.
The club demands success, but the same comes at a price. With hardly any graduates from the academy over the last few seasons good enough to stake a regular claim at the top table, what is the manager supposed to do other than buy in ready-made talent?
It might go against the grain for many, but would those same members be happy with a few years of mediocrity in return for an all-Masia XI in future?
Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have both been excellent acquisitions for the club. The most clean sheets in a season evidence just how good the Chilean captain and young German settled into life at Camp Nou during 2014/15.
But, per German magazine 11Freunde (via Sport, h/t Renato Goncalves of Barcelona Blaugranes), Ter Stegen won't be too happy with being Barca's “cup 'keeper” again:
"I don't see myself as a backup goalkeeper. I don't remember a backup goalkeeper that played all Champions League matches.
Having to alternate appearances with Bravo? It's not the most pleasant situation, which is no secret. I would obviously like to play in all matches.
I have a very good relationship with Bravo, and I don't have any problems with him. We talk constantly, and wish nothing but the best to him. That said, I want his spot.
"
Is selecting the 'keeper in form preferable to utilising Ter Stegen in the cups and Bravo in La Liga? Enrique will need to decide before a ball is kicked in anger, albeit the German's performances in both Super Cups could've made the manager's decision a little easier.
Although it's almost certain the club would want to try and secure another treble, history dictates the likelihood of that happening is minuscule.
Therefore, does Enrique decide to prioritise one trophy over the others?
Of the three, the Copa del Rey presents an excellent chance for the manager to play his fringe players, allowing them some minutes to hone their skills in the various roles and perhaps give the manager further options later in the season should injuries come into play.
We are continuously told that winning a competitive league is the benchmark for how good a club is and that given a choice, most managers would settle for winning their league each and every season.
But surely the carrot of being the first team to defend the Champions League in its modern format would be too good to resist?
AC Milan were the last to do so back in 1989/90. Even the great Barca side of Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United were unable to match the feat of Arrigo Sacchi's Italians.
Decisions, decisions.
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