Luis Enrique and the inventions of a crazy professor

Luis Enrique and the inventions of a crazy professor

Luis Enrique's absurd rotations cost Barcelona leadership of La Liga this weekend

   I was a big fan of TBO [a Spanish comic]. And of the crazy inventions of Professor Franz from Copenhagen. Surreal inventions. Because it was impossible that they could work. More or less what Luis Enrique is doing with his line ups. With one difference: the inventions in TBO were fun. Luis Enrique’s don’t bring any joy. Because they cost FC Barcelona points. Like this Sunday at Balaidos.

Luis Enrique made a mistake, a big one, against Alaves already. That day he made too many rotations and the team lost 2-1 at Camp Nou. The same happened in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, although he was able to rectify things in the second half. And he repeated the error against Celta Vigo, who beat Barcelona 4-1 last season. On this occasion his team were ridiculed in the lamentable first half, which was unlike any other we have seen in the last few years. 

I understand Lucho has to rotate to rest the players. It’s logical in a team that has to play 60 games a season. What has no sense is that he changes half a team and on top of that, a day before the players leave for 15 days with their national teams. The Asturian coach’s decisions are incomprehensible. Attacks by the coach for which Barcelona pay a high price. 

At Balidos, Luis Enrique rested Mascherano, Rakitic and Iniesta. The spine of the team. And if that was not enough he situated Neymar to play the Messi ‘creator’ role. Neymar has a lot of qualities but he cannot do exactly what Messi does in creating so much for his team-mates. The result was catastrophic, 3-0 down in half an hour, more or less. An unprecedented disaster. As disaster that could not be fixed in the second half, despite the goals and impetus Pique offered. 

The day that Barcelona had to take advantage of Real Madrid’s slip up and go top, they suffered a humiliation that left Madrid’s draw with Eibar as a mere anecdote. And what’s worse, allowed Zidane’s team to re-arm their morale. And all because of the TBO esque inventions from Luis Enrique. And it has to be said, two big errors from Ter Stegen. What a night those two had…