Barcelona: Should a Copa Del Rey Defeat Spell the End for Luis Enrique?

Barcelona are still alive and kicking in all three competitions for which they are entered. 

That remains a fact at this point despite column inches devoted to rumours of a Blaugrana demise.

The marathon of La Liga is only just reaching the halfway point so to suggest that there is no way Barca can go on and win the league is more than a little premature.

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La Liga table right now. pic.twitter.com/6N8SlhZkaP

— Neymarred (@Neymarred) January 17, 2015"

Manchester City stand in the way of immediate progression in the Champions League, but there is little to suggest that the Catalans have anything to fear over two legs.

Of more pressing concern is the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, a team that Barca comprehensively outplayed just a week ago.

A disjointed performance by the Rojiblancos surprised everyone but that shouldn't take away from the quality of Barcelona's performance.

If the Catalans had scored four or even five, it would've been a fair reflection of the balance of play over the 90 minutes.

One thing is for certain, however. Diego Simeone will not allow his charges to play that badly again. And they showed over two legs against Real Madrid just what a force they remain in the competition.

It will surely be a heavyweight cup clash for the purist with no quarter asked or given on either side.

Certainly there would be no disgrace in losing to a side that continue to perform miracles for Simeone and whose team spirit and never-say-die attitude has won them many admirers.

Not that Luis Enrique will be considering a cup exit, mind you.

Given that Barca should be challenging for the main honours year in and year out, and now that Real Madrid are out of the competition, there will be an expectation in Catalonia that Barca can go all the way this year and extend their record in the competition.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

With that expectancy, comes pressure. Pressure to deliver both a decent performance and ultimately a positive result.

Should Barca fall at this hurdle, the pressure that will fall upon Luis Enrique will weigh heavily on his shoulders.

With injuries meaning that the manager will start with a different XI for the 28th time in succession against Deportivo La Coruna in the league, by the time of the first leg of the cup tie, an astonishing 29 different starting lineups will have been named.

In direct contrast to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid who refuses to rotate his lineup, is Enrique making a rod for his own back?

If the Catalans were to lose the cup tie, regardless of the standard of the performance, does Lucho deserve to fall on his sword at that point?

Would it then make sense to bring in a new manager for the remainder of the league season and the business end of the Champions League? Someone who can unite and re-energise the squad.

Some would surely point to any such decision being a little harsh. After all, Enrique has lost just once since the beginning of November to a club in Real Sociedad that the Catalans traditionally struggle against.

WhoScored.com detail 13 wins from their last 15 matches in all competitions so arguably the manager can argue that his modus operandi is working, despite the picture that the media continues to paint.

That run has included some epic wins, too.

A 5-0 manita against a strong Sevilla side, 3-1 vs. Paris Saint-Germain and eight games where Barca have scored four or more goals.

How much more does the manager need to do to convince the doom-mongers?