The head coach of FC Barecelona, Luis Enrique, recently announced
his decision to step down from his position at the end of the season. Enrique
has been under a lot of pressure the past 3 seasons after failing to meet
expectations, and has been recognized as a scapegoat by many Barcelona fans.
His departure means that a new head coach will need to be hired, and there are
currently several prospective candidates under discussion. In particular, the following
five candidates appear to have the most attention by the media and general
public: Ernesto Valverde, Jorge Sampaoli, Eusabio Sacristan, Juan Carlos Unzue,
and Arsene Wenger.
Valverde, a former Barcelona player and coach for Athletic
Bilbao, is currently the bookies’ favorite with 2/1 odds in his favor. Sampaoli,
Sevilla’s manager, is another strong candidate who is known for his charisma and
attack-oriented football style. Sacristan, former Barcelona B manager, would be
a perfect fit for the club if they are to follow the same path as Guardiola and
Enrique who were also Barcelona B managers. Unzue, Enrique’s current assistant,
may be a good choice for the club if they want to keep their current
methodology – which in my opinion, is unlikely. Wenger, Arsenal’s coach, who has
yet to sign a new deal with the club is keeping his options open – he currently
holds a 6/1 favorite to land the job. If it were up to me to hire a new head
coach, I would hire Jorge Sampaoli because of his success as a manager at
Sevilla, who currently hold 3rd place in the La Liga table behind
Barcelona and Real Madrid, and his attacking style which the Barcelona club has
historically taken to its advantage. Based on these credentials and characteristics,
who do you guys think deserves the job, and why? How would you rank these 5
coaches in order of who you think FC Barcelona should hire? Are there any other
candidates who were not mentioned here that you think deserve the job?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/10-candidates-replace-luis-enrique-6646414
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/10-candidates-replace-luis-enrique-6646414
I feel that Sampaoli could have a good effect on the dynamic of the club. His momentum in managing Sevilla has been incredible and I feel his roots in Spain will help aid to the success of the club. I like Wenger as well, but I feel that with a group as unified as the Barca players that may necessarily need more direction rather than tactical advantage, Sampaoli may be a better fit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and think Sampaoli would be a good match because of his characteristics!
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ReplyDeleteAs the race for La Liga title just became closer than expected, Barcelona is at a point where they need someone with experience. Although the coaches from other clubs are quality options, I believe that the best decision for a mid season switch would be to hire the current assistant as the head coach. He knows the problems, players and system that comes along with playing a season. It is important that Barcelona stay on track, and possibly bringing a new coach in, playing a different system, could result negatively.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is certainly risk in bringing someone in from another club, and that it could have a negative effect on their current system. I think Unzue is a solid candidate. It will be interesting to see what the club decides!
DeleteHaving no prior knowledge about the people in the running for Barca coach, I also believe that Sampaoli would be a be a great edition to the team. It is clear that although he has no connection to the club, he has a lot of experience due to his records with Sevilla. However, I do understand that a coach who once played for the club may be a better representation of the team due to his past. Luckily, Barca has quite some time to decide who will be the next coach because Luis is completing the season.
ReplyDeleteI as well do not have much prior knowledge about this, but after some discussion in class and after reading this I think Sampaoli would be a good fit. His "Charisma and attack-oriented football style" sounds like something Barcelona needs. He has also done a great job at Sevilla, which is also why he would be a great fit.
ReplyDeleteI agree that his characteristics match well with what barcelona is about!
DeleteIf I could choose the teams newest coach I would probably pick the current assistant because he knows the team well already. Bringing in a different coach from a different place could present some challenges like potential conflict of interest. I guess that isn't a concern if they are focusing on many different teams coaches, I didn't know that!
ReplyDeleteCurrently, Sampaoli is the best option as the new Barcelona head coach. He is currently the coach of Sevilla, and they are having one of their best seasons. Right now they hold the third spot in the table and are in front of a great Atletico Madrid team by 7 points. Another big factor to look at when considering the coach for Barcelona is the clubs motto of "Mes que un club". In order to stick to this slogan, they are most likely going to hire a coach that is coaching a different Spanish team. On a different note, I think many people have been criticizing Enrique and Barcelona for their recent performances, but the fans need to be better fans. Barcelona has provided winning seasons for numerous amounts of years and now they are in a time of struggle and they need help from their fans and their fans have been easily criticizing their performance. Maybe they just need a little more support.
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