Raw Luis Enrique, Tuchel first impressions, NWSL marketing mess, what is ‘world class’?

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Hello! Take off your shoes, we’re going for a walk with Luis Enrique.

Available soon:

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Inside Luis Enrique’s Mind: which documentary taught us about the human side of management

Immediate post-game interviews are hated by coaches everywhere. They catch them at their worst, when the air is hot, the hairs on the back of their necks stand up, and the adrenaline tempts them to speak hastily. A large proportion of disciplinary fines are imposed during these exchanges.

It is one reason why the public perception of it is reductive, derived from the procession between technical rooms and press conferences. Neither allows a manager to let his guard down, so it’s not hard to warm up to a documentary like the behind-the-curtains look at Luis Enrique currently showing in Spain.

The TV portrait of the Paris Saint-Germain manager is called No Teneis Ni**** Idea (Spanish for You Don’t Have a Damn Clue), something every football writer has heard at least once. It’s fascinating to hear Luis Enrique say that he finds his media duties so irritating that he would take a pay cut to avoid them because the documentary attention is flattering to him. Look at it and try not to love him.

But that’s the point. The agreed nature of the offense allows him to be himself, and the exposed Luis Enrique is something of a hero. Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero was on every minute for The Athletic, and the payoff line in his review is a lesson for us all.

Lessons from Michael Jordan

No Teneis Ni**** Idea was produced by broadcaster Movistar and covers Luis Enrique’s first season at PSG, 2023-2024.

As always with a series like this, it’s the quirks that I like: the former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder explaining why he doesn’t drink milk (the explanation is strange, but to each his own) and why he likes walking around the PSG training post barefoot (above).

But the most poignant is the exchange between him and Kylian Mbappé, before Mbappé left for Real, which takes place in a video analysis room. Luis Enrique criticizes Mbappé’s defensive work. He tells him he knows Mbappé idolizes Michael Jordan.

“Michael Jordan took the balls of all his teammates and defended like a son of ab****,” shouts Luis Enrique. In other words, you are not him. Mbappe, to be honest, doesn’t seem impressed, but I’m halfway through Michael Jordan: The Life of Roland Lazenby, and if Mbappe hasn’t read it, he should. Luis Enrique is right. He has no intention of softening his words.

Death of daughter

Luis Enqrique’s daughter, Xana, died when she was nine. She had cancer. He talks about her intimately and describes himself as “lucky… because our daughter lived with us for nine wonderful years.”

He says he has never cried over a game of football, as football is not life or death. In the same way, he proves that managers are also more than constructs of their field. It is the human side of the sport that is too often ignored.

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News overview

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Tuchel Talk: First impressions of England’s new manager

With his contract signed, Thomas Tuchel held his first press conference as England manager at Wembley yesterday. The contract with the FA runs for 18 months, until the end of the 2026 World Cup. It’s short, but like Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT, it makes sense: 2026 will be a good time to take stock.

After listening to Tuchel, we dissected his comments on The Athletic FC podcast. These were my main findings:

• He was smooth and relaxed and after his spell as Chelsea manager you could tell he had dealt with the English media before. The fame won’t hurt, and neither will his very strong command of English. Communication is so important in this job.
• He dealt well with the question of whether England should be led by an English coach. He accepted that position, but avoided being too apologetic about it. “I’m sorry I have a German passport,” he joked.
• All parties seem happy that Tuchel and his staff will start work on January 1, instead of now.
• The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, is said to be unconcerned about whether the governing body would be disappointed at having to go abroad. The bottom line in his eyes: Tuchel is world class.
• “Will you sing the national anthem?” There is no escaping that question and Tuchel said he was indecisive. As a culture war it’s exhausting and in reality everyone will be bored of it after their first game. The choice should be his.

One of the funniest moments was when Tuchel joked about his 18-month contract and admitted that most of his club roles have gone up in smoke during that period. But as badly wrong as his last role at Bayern Munich went, the more I read about it, the more I see a softening in the politics and friction surrounding him. He was not blameless, but the environment was not fertile either. England, on the other hand, is nicely set up. I’m quietly optimistic.

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Precious bronze: The English star’s brilliant all-round game – in her own words

Defenders rarely win the Ballon d’Or. Goalkeepers even less so, but defenders are victims of the way attacking flair seduces a voting panel. Lucy Bronze finishing second behind Megan Rapinoe in 2019 was no shame at all.

Over the years, Bronze has been my favorite women’s player to watch. Now at Chelsea (who later has a Champions League match coming up at FC Twente), Michael Cox met her for an analytical look at her career. These ‘My Play in My Words’ features are great.

One thing the interview shows is how versatile Brons can be; that is, she is excellent at pretty much everything. She is a danger from set pieces and scores this crucial goal in England’s semi-final against Sweden in 2022…

…but super smooth in open play, highlighted by her assist against Brazil in the 2023 Finalissima (a clash between the winners of the Women’s European Championship and the Copa America). Bronze turns 33 this month, so she won’t be around forever. Enjoy her while you can.

Catch a match

(UK times and fixtures only) Women’s Champions League: Galatasaray v Roma, 5.45pm – DAZN; Real Madrid vs Celtic, 5.45pm – DAZN; FC Twente vs Chelsea, 8 p.m. – DAZN; Wolfsburg vs Lyon, 8pm – DAZN.

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Show display: Manchester United: watch out for Bryan Mbeumo

Premier League top scorer? Ivan Drago’s stunt double, of course. And it’s no shock to see Cole Palmer on his tail. But next to Palmer with six goals is a name I didn’t expect: Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

The 25-year-old stepped up when Brentford needed him. The club lost Ivan Toney in the last period to Saudi Arabia. Yoane Wissa is injured and out for a few months. As a result, Mbeumo is not far from being the main man up front – and for the first time in the Premier League, he is making good progress.

The graph above shows how Mbeumo’s expected goals figure (xG, shown by the red line) since the start of the 2021/22 season compares to his actual goals figure (shown in blue). It’s clear to the naked eye that he has consistently not scored as often as he should – until this season, when he has dramatically outperformed his xG.

Some caution is needed as it is still early days, but he is in his prime and I would like to know if there are bigger upsides to his form. Manchester United are away on Saturday and Erik ten Hag does not need to be told that when Brentford United rattled 4-0 in 2022, Mbeumo completed the victory. He also likes an early goal. Watch out.

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Around the Athletic FC

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Ask Phil (and football clichés)

TAFC subscriber Dan G sparked an age-old discussion topic: “What qualifies a player as truly world-class?”

My own definition: someone who would crawl over broken glass to sign at any club in the world. But I have postponed a definitive answer The Athletics Adam Hurrey, of Football Cliches, to win him his professional title. Clichés are the knees when it comes to the language of football:

“The problem with defining ‘world class’ lies not in the term itself, but in how lazily it is used. The existence of a ‘world class’ implies some kind of complicated pyramid system of football class… but there isn’t one.

“As a result, ‘world class’ has become a much broader category than it would ever have been. What we need is a new ‘continental class’ for the sub-elite operators, where ‘world class’ is defined by something clearer: that is, being nominated for the Ballon d’Or, an honor given to only thirty players. men and 30 women by 2024. Job done.”

(Top photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)