Levante vs Barcelona preview - Luis Enrique start wins praise

Posted Saturday, September 20, 2014 by PA

Levante manager Jose Luis Mendilibar believes Luis Enrique's Barcelona are playing a similar game to the one Pep Guardiola employed in his first season in charge at the Nou Camp.

Levante and Barcelona lock horns in Valencia in Primera Division action on Sunday and Les Granotes boss Mendilibar can see a lot of similarities between Luis Enrique's and Guardiola's early tenures.

Luis Enrique succeeded Gerardo Martino as Barcelona head coach in May and Mendilibar was very complimentary about his immediate effect on the Catalan side ahead of the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia showdown.

"Barcelona have become more aggressive, just like in Guardiola's first season, especially since they recover quickly after losing the ball in advanced areas," Mendilibar said at a press conference.

"Luis Enrique is not a manager who only picks big-name players or has his favourites. He has not been afraid to include youngsters in his team, even though the press are always suggesting who should be playing."

Barcelona sit top of the La Liga table, having won their first three fixtures without conceding a goal, and they made a winning start to this season's Champions League by beating Apoel Nicosia 1-0 on Wednesday.

Levante, on the other hand, prop up the standings with just one point from their opening three fixtures and no goals scored, but Mendilibar insists his players must play without fear on Sunday.

He added: "If you look at all the games they have played since Luis Enrique took charge they always put you on the back foot. They typically enjoy a lot of possession in the opponents' half, but we will try not to have feelings of constant danger."

Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at Levante in the league last season after winning the Nou Camp encounter 7-0 and triumphed 9-2 on aggregate during their two-leg Copa del Rey quarter-final.

Furthermore, Barcelona have not lost at Levante since the 1964-65 season and clinched the 2004-05 and 2010-11 La Liga titles at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.

Unsurprisingly, the Barca team are brimming with confidence and full-back Adriano admits that has much to do with Luis Enrique's arrival four months ago.

He told the club's official website: "Everybody knows what the coach is like and how he likes to work.

"He has a lot of confidence in everybody, which I think is really good for the team. And because of that everyone is ready to play."