Luis Enrique has admitted that he never thought he’d return to Barcelona, but claims coming back is ‘beautiful’.
The former Blaugrana midfielder was in charge of the club’s B team for three years between 2008 and 2011, before taking charge of Rome, Celta Vigo and now Barca.
And following his hiring on Monday, the tactician has spoken for the first time to the Catalan team’s television station.
“Coaching Barça has never been my objective. It’s something so beautiful and so hard to achieve that it’s just too complex to strive for,” he told Barca TV.
“I prefer to take it one step at a time. It’s true that when I left Barça B the Club told me that the doors were always open to me, but I understood that as an acknowledgement to my service to the Club, but not something that was realistic.
“In my case it’s been helpful to not think about it because things that should happen end up happening. I’ve worked hard to do good things in other teams and in the end, without looking for it, I’m here again.
“I think it was a positive thing to not set big goals for myself, because the most natural thing is for them to not happen – I prefer to live in the present.”
Luis Enrique then commented on his objectives for the upcoming season, and his working methods.
“The only thing that matters here is the present, and Barça’s present demands that the team win and it must be done attractively.
“We are going to take advantage of all of the time we have during the preseason to help the players. These players, the vast majority of them, will be in the World Cup and they’ll come back to Barcelona in early August.
“With these conditions, we have to do our best to do well from the start, I’m aware of this.
“What I try to do in my job is not erect barriers for myself because of how things have been done by others in the past.
“We value what is right in front of us, and if we believe there’s another way of doing things, that’s what we do.
“I will do what I consider to be beneficial for the Cub, and from there the results will show if I was right in my decision.
“I like to be serious and work hard. I like it when players finish training tired. They say that the boss doesn't give me confidence… No, no no! It's the reverse. You have to win said confidence.”