BARÇA COULD BE WITHOUT A COACH UNTIL 19TH JULY

BARÇA COULD BE WITHOUT A COACH UNTIL 19TH 

JULY

No matter how often he is asked, Luis Enrique's lips are sealed. His future remains undecided despite him still having a year left on his contract. He hides behind a rehearsed speech that he is not thinking beyond his next game and that is it. There are many who think he has a bee in his bonnet. Such uncertainty is sobering and Luis Enrique is unpredictable.

Silverware should not play an important part in his decision. It may all come down to whether he is keen to kick off another campaign with his relationship with Leo Messi at an all-time low.

We will now have to see whether Luis Enrique is prepared to start a new season with things as they are between him and the Argentine. Only the club's good run of results have made this situation bearable so far this year. The Barça boss's decision will be significant given the club's peculiar situation, with presidential elections on the horizon this summer. These circumstances leave the club with very little room to manoeuvre

If Luis Enrique stays on there is no problem. However, if he does not there could be uproar. He would be expected to announce his departure just after the Champions League final, if Barcelona make it that far.

That same day, in theory, Josep Maria Bartomeu would step down ahead of the club's presidential elections. That would leave the club somewhat shorthanded at the top, with no president and no head coach until 19th July when the elections are likely to take place. The team play their first friendly on 21st July in the USA and they will travel there before the elections. Who would lead the team? The club really needs to make a decision on this matter as waiting could prove costly.