Thursday 2 March 2017 12:50, UK
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique confirming he will step down as coach after three trophy-filled but turbulent seasons at the Nou Camp at the end of the campaign was met with surprise by the Spanish press on Thursday.
The 46-year-old explained his reasoning for not seeking to renew his expiring contract after a 6-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon on Wednesday, citing the daily grind of the pressure at the Nou Camp.
"Goodbye, leader," said the front page of Barcelona sport daily Mundo Deportivo after Enrique's announcement - on the same night Barca overtook Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Writing positively about his tenure in an article headlined 'The Barcelona bench - a risky place,' the paper wrote: "The Asturian has turned the style around - without returning to its roots, but getting Lionel Messi back to form and putting two team-mates at his disposal in Luis Suarez - who arrived at the club at the request of the coach - and Neymar, who have marked an age of goalscoring in world football."
"His merit has been to recover the virtuous circle after Tata Martina turned the style upside down and put form in the background."
"Luis Enrique leaves as he has always been, faithful to who he is: unpredictable and indomitable," said Barcelona-based newspaper Sport. "His announcement took almost everyone by surprise in a decision that was strictly his."
AS also admitted the news was a surprise - if only due to its timing.
"We all sensed that his time at the club as first-team coach had come full circle and the Lionel Messi reaction to the Leganes penalty was possibly an insight into underlying tensions at the club," wrote the paper's editor-in-chief.
"The question needs to be posed about the timing of the announcement. Was he aware of movement behind his back at the Catalan club regarding a future coach? Maybe he felt the declaration would ease tensions - Barca still have three titles to challenge for."
Marca followed suit, declaring that the "tension over his future has finally dissipated".
"Relationships remain civil, although it is clear that certain members of the dressing room have less confidence in Luis Enrique following a number of questionable decisions
"History, as ever, provides the greatest insight as a problematic period for president Josep Maria Bartomeu in early 2015 saw the club president call an early election. It was an act which reduced the tension around the Camp Nou significantly as everyone knew where they stood, just as they do now after Luis Enrique's announcement."
A subsequent opinion piece claimed he would leave Barca "with his legacy intact".
"It's often been said that any team with Lionel Messi et al in situ could be overseen by just about anyone and still be successful, yet one only needs to go back to the reign of 'Tata' Martino to understand that such critique is nothing more than hot air.
"Barcelona are now back to where they were post-Guardiola in that whoever comes in now has a huge act to follow."
Enrique has so far won eight trophies in the last three seasons - a figure bettered only by Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff.
Despite a first-leg thrashing by PSG that seemingly leaves their Champions League hopes in tatters, Barca face Alaves in the Copa del Rey final on May 27 - in what is likely to be Enrique's last match in charge - and hold a one-point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga, though Madrid do still have a game in hand.
