“I see similarities between Luis Enrique and Guardiola” says Deco

With the arrival of new manager Luis Enrique, Barcelona’s fans are full of hope that their club’s disastrous season under Tata Martino can be put behind them.

Ex Barcelona star Deco who played under former manager Frank Rijkaard has been analysing the situation.

Deco pointed out: “Barça have had a poor season because they haven’t won anything, but you can’t write off a side which has astounded the world of football with their play and their titles.”

The former Barcelona midfielder believes that drafting in Luis Enrique as manager has been the right move for the club. “He is a young manager who knows Barcelona very well. Hopefully he can get us back to the level we are used to,” he said.

Anderson Luís de Souza,better known as Deco, won two La Liga titles with the Catalan giants and played under the supervision of Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard left in 2008 with the arrival of Pep Guardiola. “They are different moments, because there were lots of changes with Pep. But with Luis Enrique, I’m seeing something similar to when Guardiola arrived. However, we’ll have to wait and see if he has that ability to do the same thing and believe in the players so they can get back on top of their game,” he added.

Deco, who finally ended his career last year in 2013 after a three year stint with Brazilian club Fluminense FC, had words about the Champions League final in Lisbon on Saturday. Although he cannot decide on a favourite, he did say: “If Real Madrid have Cristiano Ronaldo at a hundred percent and Atlético are without Diego Costa, ‘Los Blancos’ might have a slight edge”.