2024-04-09 15:59:32
“Who better represents Barça’s values: Luis Enrique or Xavi?”they asked the coach of the PSG At the press conference. And his response, as always, was clear, forceful. “Without a doubt, me. Look at the data and the titles, the possession, the high blood pressure… Without a doubt me, although there will be people who think otherwise. “It is not debatable, it is the data.”
Look at the data and the titles, the possession, the high blood pressure…
Luis Enrique
The two coaches are united by a good friendship resulting from years and shared experiences and the same idea of football: high pressure, possession, offensive football, touch, 1-4-3-3 formation…
Is Luis Enrique right in his statement? Does he best represent those values? Analyzing this season’s data, Barcelona and PSG tie in possession percentage in their respective Illnessboth with and 65%. However, in the Champions they come out better off Frenchthat this course has and 61% for 58% of the Blaugranas.
Luis Enrique: “I prefer to be a victim than a favorite”
Recoveries and titles
As regards pressure, transferred to the data of recovered ballshe PSG has 320 compared to Barcelona’s 301 in the Champions League. In the Ligue 1Luis Enrique’s men accumulate a total of 1.628at an average of 58.14 per game for the 1.613 of the culés with 53.77 per match.
As for the total titlesdue to a matter of years of career on the bench, stands out Luis Enrique. If you compare the stay of both in the Barcelonahe AsturianIn the three seasons he was there, he conquered nine trophies:two Leagues, three Copas del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup, a Champions League, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup. While, Xavisince arriving in November 2021, has raised two: a Spanish Super Cup and a League.
Xavi and Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique averaged better figures at Barça than the Egarense coach in possession (65.98% to 63.52%), shots on goal in favorr (6.66 by 5.49), shots on goal against (3.31 by 3.64), goals scored (2.87 by 1.91), goals conceded (0.81 by 1.05), as well as in the percentage of matches scoring (91.71% by 85.71%) and zero goals (45.3 by 42.11).
In addition, The balance of victories (76.24% by 62.41%), draws (12.15% by 18.05%) and defeats (11.60% by 19.55%) is favorable to Luis Enrique, that in the three seasons that he directed the Barça first team he conquered nine titles: two Leagues, three Copas del Rey, a Spanish Super Cup, a Champions League, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup.
In general terms, With Luis Enrique Martínez, Barcelona had more possession, shot more on goal, scored more goals and conceded fewer goals. He also won more games, made more vertical passes and had more passing presence in the area. According to the same data, that team also created more scoring chances per game. In that comparison, Xavi Hernández’s Barça is better in recoveries, totals and in the opposite field, and slightly better in passing percentage.
A duel on the benches
“The tie will not be won by the coaches, it will be won by the players,” said Luis Enrique on Monday in an interview with the official media of the PSG. But despite the words of the French team’s coach, the truth is that most of the eyes will inevitably be on the benches, because two former teammates face each other in the Barça; because the Catalan was a disciple of the Asturian, who made history in the Camp Nou; because the of terrace He left the culé club with the former Sporting as a trainer; because they have the same philosophy and style of play…
Luis Enrique arrives at the commitment this Wednesday in Princes Park with a highly successful and extensive career, and, furthermore, without any pressure. The Asturian professional has achieved his most notable successes precisely on the culé bench. Among his achievements, the triplet of his first season in the Camp Nou: on 14-15 he celebrated the Ligathe Copa and the Champions League. That campaign, in which there were players of the stature of Bravo, Xavi, Rakitic, Busquets, Messi, Neymar or Luis Suárezwas elected the best coach in the world.
This is how Luis Enrique reacted after learning that he will play against Barça in the Champions League
In his second course, Luis Enrique, 53 years old, celebrated the Club World Cupthe European Super Cup and he repeated with the regular national tournament and the KO tournament. And in his third and last, 16-17, he also added titles to his record: he won another Copa del Rey and the Spain Supercup. The Asturian, who has also coached the Spanish team, Celta Yet the Roma did not win a trophy again until he arrived, this past summer, at the PSG: this course has raised the French Super Cup. He adds, also counting his career in the culé subsidiary, 473 games as a coach.
ADN Barça
But the Asturian, who did not win the continental competition as a player, arrives at this Wednesday’s match without pressure: PSG has never conquered one Champions. He wants to win it. He has ambitions for her, as he himself has admitted, but he believes that the pressure is on him. Barçawhich has celebrated it on five occasions, and, consequently, for Xavi, the one he had as a partner for six seasons, the one he then coached for one and the one he now measures as a rival on the bench.
Ambition, not obligation
The technician terracewho celebrated four continental tournaments as a player (one with Luis Enrique on the bench), also arrives at the crossroads with the ambition of winning the Champions, but without feeling the maximum obligation to conquer it: the club, in fact, budgeted to reach the quarterfinals. Anyway, Xavi, 44 years old, wants to continue making history at home, the one who has announced that he will leave in June despite having a contract. At the head of the Barcelona bench, the former midfielder has won, in the 22-23 season, the League and the Super Cupfrom Spain. Two titles in 133 games. But he also won trophies with the Al-Sadd, club where he began his career on the bench after hanging up his boots at that same entity. In the Qatari institution, in which he directed 96 crosses, he was proclaimed champion of three titles.
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