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FC Barcelona’s head coach search – Massimiliano Allegri and Juan Carlos Unzue

By Chiranjib Ghosh

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 19: Assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue of Barcelona reacts during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at Camp Nou Stadium on March 19, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by fotopress/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 19: Assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue of Barcelona reacts during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at Camp Nou Stadium on March 19, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by fotopress/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue gets backing of players to succeed Luis Enrique at the end of the season

Juan Carlos Unzue fulfils the main criteria’s of the Barcelona board. He knows the club inside out, as he has both played and coached there. Unzue certainly trusts La Masia, having played an important role in the development of players like Rafinha, Munir and Carles Alena. Despite having almost no experience coaching a side in the first division, he has assisted Luis Enrique. That is an important aspect that Robert Fernandez wants to look at before hiring him.


Despite having almost no experience coaching a side in the first division, he has assisted Luis Enrique. That is an important aspect that Robert Fernandez wants to look at before hiring him. If the board is looking for continuity, Unzue is the man to hire.

He also has a strong relationship with the stars at the Camp Nou. This will come in handy when negotiating contracts and handling issues in the squad.

What the players think


Apart from this, Juan Carlos Unzue has also got the backing of several important figures within the club.

"Club captain Andres Iniesta showed his support for Unzue speaking at a promotional event. He said, “He’s already worked as a coach in the past.There’s still time to go before we know who will be the manager, but Juan Carlos knows how everything works. He is with us every day.He’s a well-prepared, capable coach and at the moment he’s looking forward to ending the season well and hitting our targets.”"

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Jimmy Alvarez, the assistant to Unzue in his only job managing a team had very nice things to say about his candidature.

"He said, “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s among the options. The benefits of hiring him are huge, I think he’s the most logical replacement for Luis Enrique.His talent and cordiality he has with the players fits perfectly, so too does his tactical knowledge. He’s very close to all the players.As well as this he has the character to be able to correct what he doesn’t like, but he also has a soft touch too, he also knows how to manage the                                                                                                 psychology of the players."

He ended on a lofty note, saying, ‘Unzue could be one of Barcelona’s best ever coaches’.

Former player and club ambassador Juliano Belletti talked of Unzue’s candidature in supportive terms.

"He said, “He knows the club, he knows what Barcelona is in Catalunya and around the world too. When Guardiola arrived people doubted him and he bore it well. I like the idea that if there’s a new coach he’s someone who knows the philosophy of the club.”"

A better example than Pep Guardiola in Unzue’s case is that of his successor, Tito Vilanova. Vilanova took over from Pep who left the club with a load of trophies. He was Guardiola’s assistant and had picked up the nuances of his tactics. He employed them to perfection and led Barcelona to glory in the first and last season at the club.

Robert Fernandez to offer mammoth salary to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri to take over at the Camp Nou

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Massimiliano Allegri is undoubtedly one of the best managers in the world. He took a settled Juventus side and brought about drastic changes to suit his style. All of that has led to success. Allegri’s performance in the Serie A and the Champions League has been very good.

He has also proven to be a brilliant talent scouter. The signings he has made have all turned out to be marvellous. Whether it be the rejuvenation of a failing Sami Khedira, or it be the signing of a world-class talent in the form of Paulo Dybala, he has proven himself in the transfer market.

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Allegri’s tactics have also turned out to be effective. He had led Juventus to the final of the Champions League in his first season in charge, which Juventus lost to Barcelona (also Lucho’s first season in charge).

Massimiliano Allegri is very committed to his job at the Juventus Stadium. He has already penned two contract extensions since joining the Turin club, but he is a hot property. Arsenal are likely to lose Arsene Wenger at the end of the season and are in the market for a manager. Reportedly, he is a wanted man at the Emirates.

But the same is the case at Barcelona. Barcelona are the more reputable club and is certainly the higher paid job. According to AS, Allegri will be offered €8 million a year to manage Barca. He is the best coach among the candidates to replace Luis Enrique, in terms of statistics and potential.

Why he fits in

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 10: Head Coach / Manager of Juventus FC Massimiliano Allegri reacts during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and AC Milan at Juventus Stadium on March 10, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 10: Head Coach / Manager of Juventus FC Massimiliano Allegri reacts during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and AC Milan at Juventus Stadium on March 10, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images) /

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Allegri is used to managing stars. He got the best out of players like Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo when they were at the club. Now, he is getting the best out the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Dani Alves. Therefore, managing the MSN and ageing legends like Iniesta won’t be a problem for him.

Massimiliano Allegri has faith in youngsters. He has given chances to players like Pol Lirola, Paulo Dybala and Mario Lemina. He will be very happy at Barcelona because he will get a constant supply of young talents from La Masia.

His loyalty to Juventus shows how much respect he has for the hierarchy. The Barcelona board and it’s president demand a relationship of absolute trust and respect with the coach. Allegri will expectedly move in Luis Enrique’s footsteps in this aspect and blindly trust the board.

Next: Barcelona beat Valencia 4-2

With Allegri on board, Robert Fernandez can change the outlook of the club and take European football by storm. Allegri might not respect the Barca philosophy but the fans should accept whatever enables the side to win.