The belief is that the trio do it off their own back. It's about the individuals rather than any kind of skillset or tactics the manager has implemented. And honestly, that's a very strong point because those three are just so good. BUT, this is football and the notion of just having good players whilst sitting back and seeing them win every game doesn't work. So many times there have been superstar teams like the 2006 Brazilian boys or the Madrid Galacticos when they initially got together. You ALWAYS need a coach to shepherd the talent in the right direction.
One thing that Enrique has done which has benefited the team is the direct play. No longer are we seeing side passes or passing for the sake of doing so. Barcelona are far more attacking with a greater focus on getting the ball to danger areas a lot quicker. Also, how Enrique has used Messi is very important to how well they have been doing. Under Pep, he drifted in midfield and attack, with Iniesta being the magician who supplied him the passes. But with Iniesta not as young as he used to be, Enrique has created a new role for Messi, which is of the attacking midfielder in the hole. No longer does he really join up in a three-pronged attack across the pitch, but he's the facilitator of chances for the Cannibal and Neymar to latch onto.
IF, Barcelona win the treble, can we really just ignore what Enrique has done? Yeah, the La Liga is a mickey mouse league, but to win three major trophies can't just come only from the players. When playing at this level, coaching is highly important. And referring back to the earlier point of how attacking and direct Barcelona are, that means the opposition has the ball more often than they did under Pep. So, Enrique has had to get the best out of Mascherano and put Pique back to his best after falling off last season. These are all things that Luis needs to be given kudos for. He has had a hand to play in Barcelona's success but I can't put him in the same sentence as Simeone or Koeman who have overachieved with the quality of players at their disposal.
After all the insults we gave him...would be quite a dramatic turnaround if Enrique picked up the triple cake.
HH
Sent from the Hut
