Arsenal: 5 managerial candidates who could replace Mikel Arteta

5. Luis Enrique – Spain

A candidate whose name has been flung around on a few occasions over the past few years is current Spain boss Luis Enrique.

Bringing plenty of his prior Barcelona traits into the current setup, his preference for verticality is clear: he wants the ball played forward with pace to the front men in a bid to disrupt the opposition and bypass shape and pressing.

There is such emphasis on winning possession back upon losing it that it can make for a pleasing spectacle, with his teams instructed to play in unison with one another and be well-positioned all all times to occupy space and cut off passing lanes. It’s effective, but it takes lots of time on the training pitch to master. Perhaps too much time.

This explosive style in attack when assuming possession helps bypass low blocks and rigid shapes, yet without the right technical calibre of players it can be hard to implement. Unique player profiles are key to him as witnessed with some interesting selection decisions made throughout the European Championships.

Wide players who make clever off-the-ball movements are part and parcel of Enrique’s approach and player intelligence, without possession crucially, is imperative to a fully functioning unit.

When in full flow it can be exciting. Who it takes and how long it needs to be perfected is key.