Loss to Madrid. Loss to Sociedad (didn't know they had a team), Loss to Atletico and another loss at home to Valencia (without Gary Neville). All in all, what looked to be yet another treble on the cards has turned into a fight to save their season as Atletico and Madrid have cut down Barcelona's lead at the top. And as shocking as this has been, if you look closely, it really doesn't baffle the mind that much.
We can all point to many reasons as to why what was once the most invincible team on the planet are now losing for fun. You can say the deadly trio are no longer being as lethal, or defenders are making too many individual mistakes, but it all starts at the top baby and Lucho is my enemy numero uno.
He's the one who sets his team out to play a certain way, and if people have been paying close attention to how they has lost their games, it's come down to how bad they have been defensively. Something that Enrique has a large role to play. Because, you know, the manager is the one who gives the defensive line specific instructions as to how to position themselves as a unit when they don't have the ball.
I've always said Enrique was fortunate to have the most talented front three that we've ever seen in club football. Okay, he helped to get them play together and created an environment for them to flourish. That still does not refute the fact that it was more the individual talent rather than the coaching that made Barcelona win all three trophies last season.
This season though, when Enrique has been required to coach, and make changes to salvage a draw or turn a loss into a win, he's come up very short. As a manager, that is where you cut your teeth and earn you name. By making tactical changes to win matches that you ought to not win, or grab that precious point by bringing on a player that swung the state-of-play in your favour. Sitting back and just watching as the talent knocks five and six past all oncomers is not really managemen.
The biggest problem for Barcelona in their slump has been their defence which has been a disgrace. If they managed to face Bayern, they would be ripped to little pieces by Costa and Ribery who would pick them apart. You just can't give up that much space when trying to defend a counter-attack. It's something that has killed them in so many matches, as well as just basic defensive marking. I look at them and it comes across as if they're not really sure how to organize themselves when they've lost the ball at the halfway line and have to deal with being outnumbered by the opposition.
What exaxtly does Enrique do with these boys on the training ground? Do they even have defensive drills?
Their loss to Valencia was no different to the one against Sociedad or Atletico. They did not concede a thirty-yard unstoppable rifle. These were goals that came about from nursery-level defending, with no awareness of covering the dangerous areas. You would think that the manager would try to address this to make sure they can at least do the fundamentals, but nope, Enrique knows best. Actually, he doesn't because the L's now have them clinging on desperately to their title.
If the unthinkable were to happen and either Madrid team were to become La Liga winners, then people would have to question how much credit Lucho deserves for that treble last season.
Was it his doing or just the amazing individuals he had? HH
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