Barcelona must snub this Premier League icon
Barcelona must snub Arsene Wenger
Barcelona must be very careful with who they select to be their next manager. In particular, the La Liga giants need to snub Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. He would only compound the struggles of the Catalan giants.
The French manager has large clubs all over Europe on high alert after admitting that he may not remain at Arsenal next season. The Gunner fan base is fed up with Wenger’s inability to take the club to the top of the Premier League. As a result, he may end his outstanding run with the North London club this summer.
Predictably, this has caused Wenger’s name to pop up on the short list of Barcelona managerial targets. Luis Enrique certainly won’t be returning in charge of the Spanish titans next season. Ironically, Barcelona fans have similar criticisms for Enrique as Arsenal fans do for Wenger.
They criticize Enrique for failing to get the most out of what many believe is among the most talented squads in Europe. Like Arsenal, Barcelona are blessed with several of the world’s best attacking players. Enrique likely deploys the world’s best front three in the form of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
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The trouble for Enrique is that his squad lacks steel and dynamic play in the middle of the pitch. That’s a familiar struggle for Arsenal fans. Their club have also been plagued with struggles in the middle of the pitch. The Gunners have consistency failed to match their Premier League rivals in the middle of the park.
The similarities between the struggles of both clubs is exactly why Wenger would be a pointless appointment for Barcelona. Wenger is a good manager, but he wouldn’t solve any of Barca’s struggles. If anything, he’d only make them worse.
Wenger’s strength as a manager is allowing attacking players the freedom to truly express themselves. That’s not a struggle for Barcelona. As I mentioned, they have three world-class stars that score plenty of goals for them. It’s not as if Wenger’s tutelage is going to drastically enhance the club’s attack.
Instead, Barcelona need to find a manager who can provide them the structure to compete with Real Madrid. That will require a gaffer who places an equal emphasis on the offensive and defensive ends of the pitch. They are in need of substance, not style.
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Some Barcelona fans might see Arsene Wenger as an enticing replacement for Luis Enrique, but he would just be more of the same. They need a different sort of manager to get back on top of Europe.