As FC Barcelona boss you know a 4-0 defeat in Europe will get people talking about your position.

So as the referee signalled the end of the game last night, with PSG thumping Barca at the Parc des Princes, the Catalan giant’s coach Luis Enrique must have known that speculation would be rife about his future.

The coach’s contract runs out in the summer and there has been tension between him and his players in the past, that seemed to reappear in Paris.

The club’s squad needs a rebuilding job, with the defence and midfield needing new faces to freshen things up. It could be for the best that a new manager walks in and takes up that particular task.

With that in mind, here are four bosses that could attract Los Culés:

RONALD KOEMAN 

The Dutchman is a legend at the Camp Nou and has made no secret of the fact that he’d want to mange the club at some point during his career.

Koeman knows all there is to know about the Catalan club and worked under the great Johan Cruyff, which is a link that always works well with the Barca support.

Impressed at Southampton and has done a fine job at Everton this season. The Barcelona hierarchy will have no doubt noticed how Ronald’s Toffees humiliated Pep Guardiola’s Man City last month.

It might not be the best time for him to leave Goodison but would he really turn down the dream of managing FC Barcelona? I doubt it!

His current odds to become the next FC Barcelona manager are priced at 5/1.

JORGE SAMPAOLI 

If there was an international side that best resembled Barca’s footballing philosophy then I’d go for Chile. Jorge Sampaoli managed the South American nation between December 2012 and January 2016.

Jorge would guide Chile to the round of last sixteen in the World Cup in 2014 and then to their first ever Copa America title in 2015. He ended his La Rioja spell with a 62% win ratio.

His sides play with an energetic, exciting style that likes to press high up the park. Those attributes will certainly endear him to the Barca faithful.

This season has seen him arrive in La Liga as Sevilla’s new head coach. They are currently in third place and just two points behind Enrique’s Barcelona. His Sevilla side defeated current La Liga leaders Real Madrid in January and are also still in the Champions League.

Has stated previously that he’d like to manage compatriot Lionel Messi at some stage:

“To coach Messi is still a wish although it doesn’t depend on me.”

His current odds to become the next FC Barcelona manager are priced at 2/1.

MAURICIO POCHETTINO 

Pochettinho has history in La Liga, having played for and managed Espanyol during his career.

Has taken a lot of his philosophies from his mentor Marcelo Biesla, who himself was once a managerial candidate for Barca, but unlike Bielsa the Tottenham boss has also instilled defensive discipline into his sides. That strong defensive organisation in the current Spurs side could attract Barcelona as the defence has always been seen as their weakness.

A manager that trusts younger players and who has no problem promoting players from his club’s youth set-up. Much has been made of La Masia but have enough came through in recent seasons? Poch could help to change that.

The forty-four year old may not be a perfect fit due to his strong links to Espanyol, Barcelona’s other side.

His current odds to become the next FC Barcelona are priced at 14/1.

FRANK DE BOER 

Another Dutchman with strong links to the Camp Nou, having made 215 appearances for FC Barcelona. Previous Dutch managers; Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard have all had success with the La Liga giants.

De Boer enjoyed managerial success at Ajax, helping the Amsterdam club to four Eredivisie titles. Many throughout Europe were impressed with the way he would set-up his side.

He would leave the Dutch side in May 2016 and join Inter Milan a few weeks before this current season started. His time in Italy didn’t last long, he was sacked after just four months in charge at the San Siro. He has since said that he’d have been better off not joining a side without having a full preseason to get his ideas across.

His failed tenure at Inter won’t necessarily deter Barca from appointing him, Luis Enrique also had a poor time of it in Italy at Roma before becoming the Barcelona boss.

He’s young and will no doubt be hungry to prove himself once again. Also has a fantastic playing CV and that will impress the Barca stars.

His current odds to become the next FC Barcelona are priced at 12/1.

Posted on February 15th, 2017 by scott
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