A 5-Point Plan for Luis Enrique to Get Barcelona Back on Track
Luis Enrique's time at Barcelona had been an unqualified success until recently.
Successive defeats against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo, coupled with an earlier meek surrender at Paris Saint-Germain have left question marks over the managers ability to get the best out of this group of players.
While it's certainly not time to push the panic button, here are a few pointers that could go a long way to assuaging the doubters.
Let's take a look...
Play Luis Suarez Centrally
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While Luis Suarez hasn't set the world alight since making his Barcelona debut just a few games ago, he has still managed to register three assists from a wide-right berth.
That's a great return, but Suarez lives for goals and his potency in this regard is curtailed while he is stuck on the flanks.
Moving him inside to a centre-forward position is likely to reap immediate dividends.
Lionel Messi can play the Daniel Sturridge role and draw defenders away, giving the Uruguayan every opportunity to enjoy life in his usual habitat.
3 at the Back
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Playing three defenders at the back, while not revolutionary, is something that's anathema to the Barca way of playing.
Since Johan Cruyff's tenure at the club, the tried and trusted 4-3-3 template has been a constant and suits them very well thank you very much.
But why shouldn't Luis Enrique tinker with the system a little?
After all, if it doesn't work they can always revert to type. But for the first time in a long time, Barca have the personnel available to play in this way.
It would be a shame to see it dismissed out of hand.
Give Sergio Busquets a Rest
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Sergio Busquets has been one of Barcelona's best performers over the past few years, and his consistency in the role that he undertakes is astonishing.
However, a few times this season, it's been noticeable how tired Busquets has become. Shattered might be a better description. And lethargic also, with opponents going past him as if he wasn't there.
Consequently, his tackles have been mistimed more than usual, with needless fouls being given away, often in dangerous territory.
That's not the Sergio Busquets that the Barca faithful know and love.
With Javier Mascherano a more-than-able deputy, perhaps now is the time to give this defensive-midfield machine a chance to recharge the batteries.
Re-Introduce the '6-Second Rule'
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When Pep Guardiola ruled the Camp Nou roost, lord help you if you lost the ball and didn't win it back within six seconds.
Lee Roden of talkSPORT goes into detail about it here, but suffice to say that much of Barcelona's success during that era was as a result of a constant pressing of the ball in all areas of the pitch.
We haven't really seen that for a while now, and this Barcelona at times looks as though it has lost the urgency that was once a prerequisite.
Real Madrid exposed Barca's weaknesses in this regard and, dare we say it, have set the benchmark for the Catalans to aim for.
Los Blancos swarmed all over Barca for the entirety of the recent Clasico clash, and Luis Enrique would do well to replicate that with his own side.
No More Rotations
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Barcelona haven't kept the same starting XI for two consecutive matches this season, per WhoScored.com, which could be one reason why they've started to drop off of the pace slightly.
Lucho cannot be all things to all men, so it's about time he stopped trying to people please and just got on with the business of being a football manager.
Starting your best and strongest team in every game is surely a better policy than rotation for rotation's sake, isn't it?
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