Why Marcelo Gallardo is not the right man for Barcelona

Barcelona are looking at the prospect of bringing in Marcelo Gallardo

With each passing day, Ernesto Valverde’s future at Barcelona becomes ever more uncertain. He will certainly not retain his job beyond the end of the season, but there is talk of his sacking even before the season ends. But should Marcelo Gallardo succeed the Basque coach?

Marcelo Gallardo’s rise to the pinnacle of South American football has been swift. After taking over from the hugely successful Ramón Díaz, the 43-year old former Argentina international was tasked with taking River Plate to greater heights.

And the young, talented manager did just that. With an influx of young players from the academy and some very sensible signings, Gallardo took a talented River side to the Copa Sudamericana title in his debut season in charge.

He has followed it up with 9 more titles, overtaking his predecessor as the most successful coach in River Plate’s history. Gallardo’s trophy cabinet includes two league titles and two Copa Libertadores titles apiece.

During his time in charge, Gallardo has made his teams play some very attractive football. He used River’s traditional 4-3-1-2 formation, and his tendency to change up formations mid-game became the key factor in many of their victories.

The attacking play of River under Gallardo has been heavily midfield-centric, with the wingers primarily attempting to run in behind the opposition defence. The numbers in midfield overwhelm the opposition, and the full-backs can also push forward when given the opportunity.

But no player has any fixed role, and is called upon to perform a variety of duties according to the progression of the game. Gallardo’s tactics draws heavy influence from the Dutch ‘Total Football’, but with greater attacking flair and an emphasis on overlapping runs.

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This sort of fluidity in River Plate’s game makes them very entertaining to watch, and this has led to increasing interest in Gallardo from Europe. In fact, the ex-Paris Saint-Germain man received an offer from his former club but rejected it in favour of a stay.

But Gallardo is not what Barça need. He is undoubtedly one of the best young coaches in the game, drawing praise from even Pep Guardiola. But his style would simply not fit Barça’s tiki-taka philosophy, which has always been the club’s platform for success.

Barça have experimented with direct recruitment from South America in the past, bringing in World Cup-winning coach César Luis Menotti in 1983 and Gerardo Martino 30 years later, but none of them lasted beyond a season at the Camp Nou.

Martino is the more recent example, and his single season in charge proves why Barça need to go with a more tested approach when beginning a rebuild. He was brought in after he led underdogs Newell’s Old Boys to a runners-up spot in the Primera División.

But after taking over, the experienced head coach failed to inject any energy into the squad. He tried to continue with tiki-taka, but failed to implement the tactic properly having never been trained in it. In the end, Barça suffered a trophyless season.

After leaving Barça, Martino’s career progressed well. He led Argentina to two consecutive Copa América finals, and did very well with Atlanta United. This proves that he was a good manager, but simply not cut out for leading Barça.

The same is for Gallardo. As a player, Gallardo was never trained in the Barça way. Neither does he believe in possession-based football. River play counter-attacking, fast-paced football that is completely unlike Barça.

Two people have been able to rebuild the club completely, Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola. Both were immensely successful former players. Barça need a manager who understands the philosophy of the club.

He may not be European, but he needs to have played for Barça in the past. Considering that, Ronald Koeman and Xavi seem the best options available right now.