section_path: Coaching career/Barcelona
section_name: Barcelona
paragraph_text: Barcelona
  
  On 19 May 2014, Luis Enrique returned to Barcelona as a manager on a two-year deal. He was recommended by sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, his former national teammate. His first competitive match was a 3–0 home league win over Elche, where he handed debuts to new signings Claudio Bravo, Jérémy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitić, and gave youth products Munir El Haddadi, Rafinha and Sandro Ramírez their maiden league appearances for the club, while summer signing Luis Suárez was unavailable for selection due to suspension.
  
  Enrique suffered his first defeat in the competition on 25 October 2014, away against Real Madrid, and although Barcelona had a successful run in the year, his management came under scrutiny because of his tactics involving several lineup changes in consecutive games. Moreover, a quarrel with Lionel Messi and other players further accentuated the team's poor form.
  
  Amid reports of dressing room unrest and after a defeat to Real Sociedad, Zubizarreta was dismissed in early January, weakening Enrique's standing at the club. A significant upturn in form followed, as a result of the coach deciding on a settled lineup with a tweak in the formation: Messi and Neymar now played as inverted wingers, while Suárez was the lone striker. He soon equaled Guardiola's record of 11 consecutive victories, while the side went on to beat Atlético Madrid and Villarreal convincingly in the Copa del Rey to advance to the final. In the domestic league, after eight wins in nine matches, they returned to the top of the table after 15 weeks.
  
  On 21 April 2015, Enrique recorded his 42nd win after 50 games in charge of Barcelona with a 2–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, the best record of any manager. He went on to lead the club to the final of the UEFA Champions League and, on 17 May, led it to its 23rd national championship with one match to spare following a 1–0 win at the Vicente Calderón against Atlético Madrid. On 6 June, having earlier won the domestic cup against Athletic Bilbao by the same score, the team sealed a treble with a 3–1 defeat of Juventus in the Champions League final in Berlin, and three days later he signed a new contract until 2017.
  
  On 11 August 2015, Barcelona won the 2015 UEFA Super Cup 5–4 against Sevilla. On 2 December, against Villanovense in the Copa del Rey round of 32, Enrique decided against bringing on a new player following Mathieu's injury with 12 minutes to go even though two replacements could still be made, as the score was 6–1 at that time and the manager said he did not want to risk introducing players to the game without adequate warm-up.
  
  In his first two seasons, Enrique rotated his goalkeepers, with Bravo playing league games and Marc-André ter Stegen playing cup and European matches. Both players, however, expressed opposition to this policy. A second double was achieved on 22 May 2016, following a 2–0 Copa del Rey victory over Sevilla after extra time in which the team played more than 50 minutes with one player less, following the dismissal of Javier Mascherano.
  
  On 1 March 2017, Enrique announced that he would not continue as team manager after 30 June on expiration of his contract.
  
  On 19 May 2014, Luis Enrique returned to Barcelona as a manager on a two-year deal. He was recommended by sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, his former national teammate. His first competitive match was a 3–0 home league win over Elche, where he handed debuts to new signings Claudio Bravo, Jérémy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitić, and gave youth products Munir El Haddadi, Rafinha and Sandro Ramírez their maiden league appearances for the club, while summer signing Luis Suárez was unavailable for selection due to suspension.
  
  Enrique suffered his first defeat in the competition on 25 October 2014, away against Real Madrid, and although Barcelona had a successful run in the year, his management came under scrutiny because of his tactics involving several lineup changes in consecutive games. Moreover, a quarrel with Lionel Messi and other players further accentuated the team's poor form.
  
  Amid reports of dressing room unrest and after a defeat to Real Sociedad, Zubizarreta was dismissed in early January, weakening Enrique's standing at the club. A significant upturn in form followed, as a result of the coach deciding on a settled lineup with a tweak in the formation: Messi and Neymar now played as inverted wingers, while Suárez was the lone striker. He soon equaled Guardiola's record of 11 consecutive victories, while the side went on to beat Atlético Madrid and Villarreal convincingly in the Copa del Rey to advance to the final. In the domestic league, after eight wins in nine matches, they returned to the top of the table after 15 weeks.
  
  On 21 April 2015, Enrique recorded his 42nd win after 50 games in charge of Barcelona with a 2–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, the best record of any manager. He went on to lead the club to the final of the UEFA Champions League and, on 17 May, led it to its 23rd national championship with one match to spare following a 1–0 win at the Vicente Calderón against Atlético Madrid. On 6 June, having earlier won the domestic cup against Athletic Bilbao by the same score, the team sealed a treble with a 3–1 defeat of Juventus in the Champions League final in Berlin, and three days later he signed a new contract until 2017.
  
  On 11 August 2015, Barcelona won the 2015 UEFA Super Cup 5–4 against Sevilla. On 2 December, against Villanovense in the Copa del Rey round of 32, Enrique decided against bringing on a new player following Mathieu's injury with 12 minutes to go even though two replacements could still be made, as the score was 6–1 at that time and the manager said he did not want to risk introducing players to the game without adequate warm-up.
  
  In his first two seasons, Enrique rotated his goalkeepers, with Bravo playing league games and Marc-André ter Stegen playing cup and European matches. Both players, however, expressed opposition to this policy. A second double was achieved on 22 May 2016, following a 2–0 Copa del Rey victory over Sevilla after extra time in which the team played more than 50 minutes with one player less, following the dismissal of Javier Mascherano.
  
  On 1 March 2017, Enrique announced that he would not continue as team manager after 30 June on expiration of his contract.