Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The former team-mates have had similar first terms at the Camp Nou, but who enjoyed the more impressive start at the Blaugrana?
With one having won an incredible 14 trophies during his four-year reign as coach of Barcelona and the other yet to see out his first season, it seems a tad unfair to compare Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique’s times at Camp Nou.
However, with the former only a handful of games away from replicating the incredible European and domestic treble win that the current Bayern Munich boss achieved in his maiden year at Barca, it seems apt that the pair should be juxtaposed.
Despite being seven years apart, the debut seasons of the coaches at in Catalunya have had some striking similarities.
In the opening weeks of his time in charge of the senior team in 2008-09, Guardiola came under immediate pressure after picking up just four points from the first three underwhelming games.
While Luis Enrique’s start was more promising in terms of points, he was also subject to intense scrutiny, with his side not looking at their best. Also, as the season wore on, his tendency to rotate the team every week began to irritate fans and prevented the side from building any rhythm.
In each case, the early teething problems were quickly worked out, though. Guardiola’s men became a real force in La Liga and in the Champions League. The Blaugrana went top of the Spanish top flight after week nine, never to be knocked off again as they strolled to the title, while they also won the Copa del Rey and went on to beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final in Rome.
This season, the Catalan side have perhaps not been as dominant domestically, having to contend with Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid hitting incredible form with a 22-game winning streak. However, the league looks like it is in Barcelona’s hands with two games left to protect a four-point lead.
The coaches each have their attacks to thank for their remarkable achievements, having had the luxury of unbelievable forward trios at their disposal.
Guardiola benefited from Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, who scored 100 goals that season; his former team-mate has been able to rely on Luis Suarez, Neymar and the magnificent Argentine, who are already on 112 goals.
One of the main differences, though, is that Guardiola had much more of a rebuilding job to do than the current incumbent at Camp Nou.
The fledgling coach had to restructure an out of shape team which needed a lot of changes - no mean feat at a club like Barca, in your first senior management job. Ronaldinho, Deco, Gianluca Zambrotta were all sold on, while Lilian Thuram was advised to leave. Furthermore, the Spaniard made no secret of his desire to see Eto’o head for the exit too, but held on to him for another season.
When Luis Enrique arrived at Camp Nou from Celta, he was taking over a team which had also failed to impress the previous year, failing to win any silverware under Gerardo Martino. However, that was more down to the inadequacies of that predecessor than the team overall. The arrival of quality players such as Claudio Bravo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez made it much easier for the team to gel. Jeremy Mathieu’s experience helped him settle in too.
Guardiola’s signings were of less obvious class considering the players who left. Dani Alves was the exception in a list of signings that included Martin Caceres, Seydou Keita, Aleksandr Hleb and 21-year-old centre-back Gerard Pique.
As well as making several changes to the make-up of the squad, the current Bayern Munich boss had to whip a lethargic team into shape while also building on the playing style and instilling a new mentality through his demands for perfection. His side’s relentless pressing off the ball and incredible passing game were crucial in the incredible success Barca achieved in his time there.
While Luis Enrique has brought his own ideas to the team, he has largely benefited from the work that Guardiola did before him, adhering to the attacking football philosophy of the club, but going somewhat more direct when required.
Another key difference is that the incredible 08-09 season was Guradiola’s first in management at the top level. His season at Barca B helped prepare him for the job, but the step up was huge and there was a lot of scepticism about his readiness to take over the hot seat from before he was appointed into the opening weeks of the season. If not for the endorsement of Johan Cruyff ringing in the ears of Joan Laporta, things might have been different.
Luis Enrique, though, was openly courted by Barca months before the end of last season after impressing at Celta following stints at Roma and Barcelona B. While the pressure was plentiful for the 45-year-old, he certainly had more leverage with the board and players than the fresh faced inexperienced Guardiola.
And Luis Enrique’s team have already surpassed Guardiola’s points tally in his first season (90 to 87 with two Liga matches left). They have scored more goals (107 to 105), conceded significantly fewer (19 to 35) and could win the same number of trophies in a very impressive debut year in charge for the coach.
However, considering the rebuilding job, his courage and influence to change so much in his first campaign as a top-flight coach, the winning mentality he brought to the team and his ability to prove his doubters wrong, it is Guardiola’s maiden campaign which will go down as the more captivating.
