Deco wants Luis Enrique return: how does his record as Barcelona coach compare to Pep Guardiola’s?

Luis Enrique is Barcelona sporting director Deco’s ideal replacement for outgoing head coach Xavi Hernández, according to journalist Sique Rodríguez of Spanish radio station Cadena SER. The current Paris Saint-Germain manager already had a hugely successful three-season spell in charge at Camp Nou between 2014 and 2017.

Arteta, Alonso and De Zerbi “liked” by Barcelona and Deco

“In an ideal world, Deco’s favourite coach is Luis Enrique. He really likes him as a coach. But whether he can get him or not is another matter because he has a contract with PSG. He also likes young coaches like Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. He admires Roberto de Zerbi too, his methods are well known. Obviously, we have talked a lot about the German options: Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel... The financial situation is what it is and is a limiting factor, but right now, the coach who Deco likes the most is Luis Enrique,” Rodríguez reported.

Full screen

Xavi announced he would be leaving Barça at the end of the season following a 5-3 home defeat to Villarreal, a result which followed a 4-1 Spanish Super Cup thrashing by Real Madrid and a 4-2 Copa del Rey exit against Athletic Club. Since then, La Blaugrana’s fortunes have improved somewhat although they are still eight points behind LaLiga leaders Madrid despite a seven-game unbeaten run. And Xavi has insisted he will not be going back on his decision, which means a new man will be in the dugout for the 2024-25 season....or could it actually be an old acquaintance instead?

Luis Enrique’s Barcelona successes

Luis Enrique, who played for Barcelona between 1996 and 2004 after a five-year spell with Real Madrid, stepped down as Celta Vigo coach to return to Catalonia in May 2014. With Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar at the peak of their powers, Barça won the LaLiga-Champions League-Copa del Rey treble in his first season in charge, also winning the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2015.

The club did the league and domestic cup double in 2015-16, but some cracks began to appear to the following season, in which they overcame a 4-0 first-leg defeat to knockout Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League, only to lose heavily to Juventus in the quarter-finals.

At the start of March, with Barça still in the hunt for the league title and the Champions League, Luis Enrique confirmed he would be leaving when his contract expired at the end of the season, saying he “needed to rest” and “be true to myself and fair to my way of thinking.”

Full screen

Luis Enrique vs Pep Guardiola as Barcelona head coach

In his three seasons in charge, Luis Enrique won 138 of his 181 matches (22 draws and 21 defeats), giving him a win percentage of 76.24%. In those games, Barcelona scored 519 goals, an average of 2.87 per game, and conceded 147 (0.81 per match).

For context, Pep Guardiola’s win rate in four seasons as Barcelona manager (2008 to 2012) was 72.47%. In his 247 matches at the helm, the team found the net on 638 occasions (2.58 per game) and let in 176 (0.71 per match).

Pep fans will, of course, point out Guardiola took over a team that had finished 18 points behind Real Madrid (and 10 adrift of Villarreal) the previous season, while Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s Barça had only just missed out on the title in the months prior to Luis Enrique’s arrival as manager.

The current Manchester City manager won 14 trophies, including three LaLiga titles and two Champions Leagues, in his four years in charge, making him the most successful Barcelona head coach of all-time ahead of Johan Cruyff (11 trophies in eight seasons). Luis Enrique is next on the list, along with Englishman Jack Greenwell in the early 20th century, with nine trophies, achieved in just thee years.