Barcelona Squad Reportedly 'Disillusioned' with Luis Enrique After PSG Defeat

Senior figures in the Barcelona dressing room are reportedly "disillusioned" with manager Luis Enrique following the team's 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg.

According to the El Partidazo programme on Cope radio (h/t AS), relationships are frayed between the players and the coach after a difficult season, with the manager said to be potentially on his way out of the club.

"The key players are disillusioned with him," it was noted. "They see him incapable of lifting the team and finding solutions."

While the humbling in the French capital was the nadir for this team, it's added that some of the squad have not believed in the coach for a long time now. 

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Luis Enrique has a big job on his hands to lift spirits, as Barcelona were run into the ground by a vibrant PSG side on Tuesday.

Sports journalist Rafael Hernandez feels as though the Camp Nou club need to take drastic action as a result:

The XI players on the field in Paris didn't look like a side willing to put everything on the line for their manager.

From first whistle to last, Barcelona were bullied by their hosts, with Angel Di Maria, Edinson Cavani and Julian Draxler causing havoc in the final third. By contrast, the La Liga side were passive in their play, lacking in intensity off the ball and, uncharacteristically for a Barca team, lacking any invention in the final third.

It means an unprecedented turnaround is required if the Blaugrana are to make it into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. However, based on the evidence of Tuesday night, it's unlikely.

"It was a disastrous night for us; we were clearly inferior," Luis Enrique said after the match, per BBC Sport. "I'm responsible for this."

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Although the manager must take some responsibility for the loss, it would be unfair to place all the blame on him.

Indeed, Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette is unsure whether axing Luis Enrique would be the right decision, especially given his fine track record since taking over in 2014:

In 2014-15, his first season in charge of the club, Luis Enrique masterminded a memorable treble, steering the side to the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey; in his second season, he retained the latter two titles, coming up short against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final of the former.

Realistically, the only piece of silverware Barcelona can finish with this season is the Copa, having made it to the final to play Alaves on May 27. With a deficit to make up in La Liga—they trail Real Madrid by a point having played two games more—and the Champions League, the major honours are beyond them.

It's debatable how much of this is to do with Luis Enrique, but a manager who can call upon Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar will be held to the highest possible standards. And if the dressing room have deserted the coach, it would be no surprise to see a new man in the dugout at the Camp Nou for the 2017-18 season.