Antonio Conte’s future at Chelsea is in serious doubts as the Italian has voiced his discomfort regarding Chelsea’s transfer policies more than once whilst also hitting out at several star players such as David Luiz and Diego Costa.
His future with the club is increasingly in doubt with Conte signing a contract extension in the summer but not beyond next year. Conte has revealed last week that the only reason he would leave Chelsea at the end of this season is if he’s sacked.
And that may seem likely considering the fact that duo of Luis Enrique and Juliano Belletti are reportedly in the frame to take over the reigns next season.
The former Barcelona manager, jobless since being sacked by the board at the end of last season, is highly linked with the Chelsea job next season along with Juliano Belletti, a current ambassador at Barcelona but is held in high regards in Stamford Bridge, who is rumored to take over as the Chelsea’s director of football next season.
As Chelsea owner Roman Abrahmovic is apparently interested in playing the fantasy football in the Barcelona mould, Luis Enrique could be a perfect man to hire, for the English defending champions.
During his time with FC Barcelona, the Spaniard showed his ability to execute a perfectly balanced Juego de Posicion style of football with one or two tweaks. Not only did he manage to fix Barcelona’s midfield problem by enabling a three-man midfield formation with two attack-minded midfielders but also helped Leonel Messi evolve as more of a creator rather than a goal-scorer.
Pep Guardiola’s success with Manchester City using the positional football shows just how effective it can be when perfectly executed. With players like Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante and Ross Barkley in the team, the former Barcelona midfielder could easily have the necessary ingredients to get the team up and running.
Furthermore, Enrique will also have the services of highly specialized technical forwards such as Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Willian, all of whom can easily get used to the possession-based football.
Among all the other candidates on Chelsea’s list in the shape of Diego Simeone, Massimiliano Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel, only Tuchel and Luis Enrique are used to the positional play. Considering Tuchel’s lack of experience along with his off-field issues, Luis Enrique seems like a safer and a more logical choice for the Blues.
