Has Luis Enrique lost Barcelona players’ support?

While support for Barcelona manager Luis Enrique to have his contract extended has always been tepid at best, his team’s recent performances seem to support a change in field leadership. Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu has publicly stated that Enrique is their manager and the club is satisfied with his performance. Of course, he also said that the two would talk about the future once April arrived.

After the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of PSG in Paris last week, Barcelona played at home against 17th-ranked Leganes in what was expected to be a one-sided victory at the Camp Nou. As time was running out, it took a favorable referee decision in extra time to award the Blaugrana a penalty kick and escape with a 2-1 win against a team who were just promoted to La Liga this year.

A few things stood out as the game progressed. The Barca faithful were less than cordial with their home-town support. The look on Bartomeu’s face in the owner’s section did not exude confidence in his team or his manager. And even after Lionel Messi converted the penalty kick to tie the match, there was no enthusiasm or any spark from the team. In fact, a last-minute shot from Leganes nearly tied the game once again, which would’ve shocked the crowd.

While losing in Paris may not have been catastrophic, the team showed little meddle or fight on the pitch.  With an offense that put exactly one shot on goal all game while allowing 10 on frame from PSG, the 4-0 score might have been worse for Barcelona.  After the match, midfielder Sergio Busquets said that PSG were too physical for them while Enrique called his squad “inferior.” Just yesterday, defender Gerard Pique said that the team was with Enrique “until the death.”  He didn’t specify whose death he was referring to, however.

But the play by Barcelona on the pitch recently tells a different story. For a team dependent on winning silverware, they are now all but eliminated from Champions League play as well from as the top spot in La Liga. They are a finalist in the Copa del Rey match held in late-May, but that is merely a consolation prize at this point of the season. For a squad with so much talent, the players have under-performed for their manager and seem to want to have him replaced. Come this May, their wish will likely be granted.