Juan Carlos Unzue's chances of becoming the Barça boss are disappearing

Many will feel I'm being opportunistic speaking about Juan Carlos Unzue's future now, when it's been leaked that last week he had an altercation with Neymar. But it's true that Luis Enrique's assistant has began to slip behind in the race to become the new Barcelona manager. 

And not just because he's began to lose the confidence of some of the dressing room -- there was a moment with Jordi Alba a few weeks ago, too, although not as serious as the clash of words with Ney -- but because the club have began to send clear messages that he will not be the chosen one.

The first was vice president Jordi Mestre, who twice in three days has said the name of the new coach won't be revealed until the end of the season out of "respect for Luis Enrique." However, if it was Unzue, it would be reaffirmation of what the current coaching team are doing -- and Luis Enrique would presumably know, anyway. Remember, for example, that when Tito Vilanova replaced Pep Guardiola it was announced at the end of April and the reaction of the team was a 7-0 win against Rayo Vallecano. 

Unzue is also recognised in the dressing room as the man behind the 3-4-3, a system which had a special moment in the Champions League against PSG but also contributed to the exit against Juventus. The formation has had supporters and critics in the dressing room from day one -- and we're not talking of low ranking players, either. One of the players penalised by the system was Alba, a player loved and valued by his team-mates and a reference among the Spanish international. 

The assistant coach is also responsible for set plays, an important part of any side's game, but this season Barça have not been as strong in this department as before. 

Inside the club, there have been series of polls regarding the potential candidates to take over the first team to find out the socios opinion. SPORT have done the same and nearly everyone has given their vote to Athletic Club coach Ernesto Valverde. There is not a lot of support for Unzue. 

In addition, going for Unzue would leave the board without a safety net. If things went wrong, it would be sporting director Robert Fernandez and president Josep Maria Bartomeu who would take the criticism for failing in their planning. In exchange, bringing in a coach from outside allows at least one year of credit among the fans. It would also be a clear sign that, whatever happens, the club don't move based on results but on planning strategically. 

And to complete the list of indicators which allow us to believe Unzue has practically been discarded as a candidate, it's worth saying that one of Luis Enrique's assistants has already began to say goodbye to his colleagues, making it clear that he will not continue at the club next season.