Visionary Luis Enrique seeks long-term redemption with Celta Vigo

Celta de Vigo?s new coach Luis Enrique Martinez gives a press conference at Balaidos stadium in Vigo Abel Resino left Celta Vigo with the remit of his four months in charge complete— to avoid relegation. The Galicia club avoided the drop by just one point on the final day after the 53-year-old Resino came in as a fire-fighter, with Celta third from bottom upon the departure of Paco Herrera back in February. Resino was very much a short-term choice, a stop-gap to lead the team to safety so President Carlos Mourino could implement a long-term vision that will be spearheaded by Luis Enrique, returning to La Liga after an ill-fated spell with Roma. Enrique is definitely a coach with a vision, having led Barcelona B back to the Liga Adelante after an 11-year absence following his succession of Josep Guardiola. Enrique took his talented La Masia crop to the play-offs but were denied access to La Liga because of league rules. It was this achievement that convinced Roma and their Sporting Director Walter Sabitini to appoint him at the Stadio Olimpico in the summer of 2011. “Enrique represents an idea of football that we would like to follow, which imposes itself through Spain and Barcelona” said Sabitini upon his appointment. “I was looking for someone outside of Italian football, uncontaminated”. The belief that he would take with him to Rome some of the philosophies that were ingrained in Catalonia with Guardiola’s all-conquering juggernaut was clear. Here was a manager with the ambition, exuberance and the required innovation to restore a stuttering Roma to success. Unfortunately for Luis Enrique, his Italian tale didn’t quite follow that script. It is Rome where an insular reputation for failure to accept change has often thrived and the bright new manager, embarking on his first high-profile job, could have been accused for failing to appreciate what a gargantuan job lay in wait. A focus on possession and fluid football was enforced and was being slowly embraced by some sections of support, but only alongside a sequence of poor results and squad ill-discipline that saw Daniel Osvaldo strike Erik Lamela across the head in Udinese, or three red-cards in a dreadful evening in Fiorentina. The ex-Barcelona winger couldn’t settle on his starting line-up and eventually finished seventh, outside of the European qualification places. Luis Enrique resigned at the end of the season, a banner reading “If you’re a real man Luis then leave now” appeared four matches before the conclusion of the troubled campaign. With half of his two year deal remaining, Roma desperately wanted Enrique to see his job through. However, with technical director, Franco Baldini, constantly reiterating his stance that the Spaniard would not be removed from his position whilst it was believed the owner, Thomas Di Benedetto, refused to even contemplate a overhaul. Though with the notoriously high-pressure setting of the Stadio Olimpico compromising his aim to edge out the ageing Francesco Totti in favour of the new generation of Stefano Okaka, Gianluca Cipriani and Bojan Krkic, the long-term picture always seemed to be out of reach.

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