Monday 29 May 2017 19:10, UK
Graham Hunter says Luis Enrique brought us all fun during his three-year stint at Barcelona.
Luis Enrique departed his job on Saturday night with a ninth trophy following the 3-1 Copa del Rey final win over Alaves in Madrid, but his side ultimately fell short in the Champions League and in La Liga.
But Hunter, speaking on the Revista De La Liga season review, says he'll be remembered fondly, and produced some of the best football ever seen during his first season in 2014/15.
"If it wasn't for what we experienced under Pep Guardiola, we'd look at Luis Enrique's trophies, the treble season, and the football.
"The football played between January and May in his first season; never mind Barcelona's history, you'll do well to find better football anywhere at any stage in football than that.
"I think he'll be looked at as imperfect. He'll be remembered relatively fondly by the fans, not by the media, of whom he had a Rottweiler and kitten kind of relationship.
"But from our point of view, I think he gave us fun."
Luis Enrique won the treble in his first season at Barcelona, but early in January of 2015 he was heavily criticised for resting the likes of Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic, Lionel Messi and Neymar in a defeat at David Moyes' Real Sociedad.
Despite calls for his head, the Spaniard survived, but Terry Gibson questioned whether he was scarred from that experience and the media criticism it carried.
"Was he scarred by the first season, when he rested, and rotated for the Real Sociedad game away? He lost 1-0 to David Moyes' side. He left big players on the bench, and he got hammered, and that stage it appeared that he might lose his job.
"He then took the Zidane approach, just leaving it, left the players to get on with it and reverted back to the style. Perhaps he was worried this season when he tried a different approach, it didn't work, and he probably thought: 'I'm just going to stick with the tried and trusted, I'm leaving at the end of the season, leave it to the players.'
"I think Barca need a proactive manager next season to take them by the scruff of the neck and bring them back to their usual style."
