5 Reasons Why Luis Enrique Needs to Stay at Barcelona Beyond This Season

Luis Enrique was public enemy No. 1 at Barcelona not so long ago.

Too much tinkering with his squad was leading to subpar performances and poor results.

Celta Vigo, Malaga and Getafe all took at least a point from the Catalans before the turn of the year, but it was probably the loss to Real Sociedad on January 4 that finally woke Enrique up to the fact that playing his best squad each week was a must.

Since then, Barca have won 18 out of their 19 games in all competitions, per WhoScored.com, and they look in the healthiest of positions as we approach the business end of the campaign.

Credit must go to Enrique for turning things around. Here are five reasons why he should stay at the helm beyond the end of this season.

Nobody's Puppet

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Luis Enrique always tells it as it is.

One of the most refreshing things about Lucho is his steadfast refusal to bow to the needs or wants of anyone else.

Completely his own man, even at a club as big as Barcelona that remains bound by the weight of tradition.

Enrique told it straight at the very beginning of his reign during an interview with Barca TV (via Kris Voakes of Goal):

"

We are going to do it my way, no doubt about that, because otherwise the club would have employed a different coach. I am not going to do what everyone else might tell me.

...

I’m going to do what I think I have got to do and everything will be for the benefit of the club, and we’ll look to improve the team. Results will tell the tale of whether I got it right or whether I'm crazy.

"

It's a standpoint that has never wavered, and Barca are now seeing the fruits of his considerable labour.

Differing Styles but Still the Barca Way

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Has Lucho finally found the "Plan B" that Barca have been searching for?

"The Barca Way." What is it? 

We're often force fed the idea that teams should play like Barca, but how exactly can the club's play be defined?

Xavi Hernandez explained, per Alvaro Macho of UEFA.com:

"

It's about doing something extra, not just winning.

It's about playing well and then if you manage to win, even better. Barca always try to direct the game, they don't wait for the opposition but go out and attack, so people identify with the club.

Barca fans would never understand if the team were not controlling or dominating a match. That's the way it has to be.

"

Where Luis Enrique has impressed is in his desire to mix things up yet retain the element of the Barca way that Xavi describes above.

While tiki-taka is not yet moribund, it's certainly not being used as exclusively as it was in, say, the Pep Guardiola era.

Has a Plan B that works finally been found? It seems that way.

Bravo, Lucho.

Winning Ways

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Luis Enrique definitely has the knack of winning.

When a team loses, it's the manager who has to face the media and explain the reasons why.

Therefore, it should follow that he takes the credit when a team is victorious.

In 2015, Barca have only lost to Real Sociedad, at a venue where they always struggle, and at home to Malaga, a surprise result, but that happens.

They've defeated Atletico Madrid three times, Premier League champions Manchester City twice and Real Madrid once, as well as winning all of their other fixtures.

Enrique surely deserves the kudos attached to such a run.

Support of the Players

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Ivan Rakitic says Enrique has the full support of his squad.

It's obviously vital to have the support of your staff when managing any organisation.

If a football manager loses the dressing room, it's invariably curtains soon afterward.

At the turn of the year, there was incessant media speculation that there had been a spat between Lionel Messi and Enrique.

This was confirmed by Jeremy Mathieu in an interview with RMC (h/t FourFourTwo).

Recently, in an interview with Sportske novosti (via Marca), Ivan Rakitic noted:

"

Our success is based on a collective ethos: it is all for one and one for all.

He's (Luis Enrique) the boss and he knows what's best.

We all believe in him.

"

The issue with Messi is the sort of thing that can happen at every club.

Given the way the Argentinian and everyone else is responding to Enrique's methods, you would have to say that it appears the manager has the unconditional support of his players and that his removal would be counterproductive.

Getting Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar Working Together

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They said it couldn't be done, but Suarez, Neymar and Messi are in the same side and playing well.

They said it couldn't be done.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have been productive together in the same side.

Luis Enrique has proved everyone wrong, including Johan Cruyff.

In his column for De Telegraaf (via Marca), the Dutch legend noted:

"

I can't see how Barca intends to continue playing the same way, with a keen focus on team play if Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez are in the side.

The three of them are too individual. In signing him, the club are showing a preference for individual genius over a team that plays great football.

"

Gerard Pique, in an interview with UEFA (via FCBarcelona.com) explained:

"

We are talking about the best players in the world and they have a special relationship. They understand each other perfectly.

There is no hint of jealousy and you can see that out on the field in their performances.

Leo knows how to read games perfectly because he is very intelligent. He feels confident beginning on the wing and that has given Luis [Suarez] the chance to play through the middle, his ideal position.

I think that is the right decision because the team has got better, Messi is as brilliant as ever and Suarez is giving us goals.

Luis Enrique has very clear ideas and the team have understood them perfectly.

"

Enrique has them playing cohesively, as well as allowing them the freedom to express themselves individually. No mean feat, that.