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Things change quickly at FC Barcelona. A month ago, confidence in Luis Enrique looked to be at an all-time low and stories of his imminent dismissal were filling local media. The Asturian's response was to produce a 10-game winning streak that included two emphatic triumphs over La Liga champions Atlético Madrid. The coach moved from a position of weakness to one of strength via the shortest route possible -- consistency. Barça B manager Eusebio Sacristan was unable to find the consistency necessary to box his own way out of a corner. The former midfielder, who was a member of Barcelona's 1992 Dream Team which won the European Cup, took charge of the Blaugrana second-string in 2011. However, unlike other recent B team coaches Enrique and Pep Guardiola, he has not left the Catalan capital a strengthened figure. President Josep Maria Bartomeu sacked the La Seca native on Monday, his team in the midst of the kind of crisis the seniors escaped at the turn of the year. Few are surprised with the decision. The last time Barca B won back-to-back points in the Liga Adelante was November. They have lost seven of their last 10 games, including 4-0 and 7-0 thrashings. Since the New Year there have been constant leaks to the Catalan press claiming Eusebio was only one loss away from the chop, yet the Spaniard has proven a difficult man to get rid of. Twice he was reportedly told "win or you go." Twice, he won, only to lose again the following week. When Real Zaragoza beat Barça B 4-0 on Feb. 7, the camel's back was finally broken, his contract rescinded. For a while, Bartomeu insisted that the Barca B manager's position was not subject to results -- at least in public. "The task isn't to win, it's to form players", he claimed. Yet the two issues are not mutually exclusive. A confidence-sapping relegation battle is not ideal for a group of young players at a crucial stage in their careers. Allowing the negative atmosphere to grow for too long could have an impact on not only the second team, but also the first team's hopes. With Barcelona unable to buy players this year, their "signings" will come from within. It is vital that they arrive in optimal condition therefore. Eusebio has long been the subject of debate among supporters. They question whether he ever sufficiently improved the youngsters he was given from the U19s, or whether his deviations from the club's traditional style of play actually left them less prepared for the step up to the Camp Nou. An oft-cited example is Gerard Deulofeu, arguably the most promising talent to come through the academy since Lionel Messi, yet also a player who has twice been sent out on loan in an effort to iron out the imperfections in his game. Could more have been done for the winger's development during his two full seasons in the Liga Adelante? He was, after all, only 16 while playing in the second tier. An incredibly impressionable age, and one at which a player's progression can still be aided or hampered significantly. Eusebio's relatively passive public persona made him an easy target. Part of his lack of popularity came from questions of style, but questions of personality have also played their part. In the not-so-distant past, Enrique's Barça B were also prone to deviating from the Blaugrana's traditional model if the coach felt it was necessary. Yet the Asturian's confidence and charisma meant few questioned his methods. His successor was rarely afforded such a luxury. In truth, it has been an uphill battle from the start. Eusebio was never the man supporters wanted in the first place. The obvious candidate to take over from Enrique in 2011 was Oscar Garcia, who had just guided the Juvenil A (U19) side to an historic treble using a style of football very much in the mould of the intricate positional play of Guardiola's first team. A natural fit, it seemed, but Garcia was also a dyed in the wool Cruyffista, acting as the Dutchman's assistant with the Catalan national team from 2009-10. Barcelona's board, not great admirers of Cruyff, decided to give Eusebio the Barça B job instead. Seeing that he had no further options to progress as a coach within the club, Garcia soon informed them he would be leaving to look for a chance elsewhere. For many, that was an opportunity lost. Barça are keen to avoid making the same mistake twice. The man chosen to take charge of the B team this time is Jordi Vinyals, who is a highly rated homegrown coach who replaced Garcia in 2012. Unlike Eusebio, Vinyals is a Barcelona academy graduate. The Catalan recently guided Barça's U19s to UEFA Youth League success as well as winning their domestic league, and is in need of a new challenge. With Barça B two points above the relegation zone, challenges are not lacking. Knowing many of the players well from their time at Juvenil level should help Vinyals to hit the ground running. Some of the biggest talents of the group, like Adama Traore and Munir El Haddadi, played under him as recently as last year's UEFA Youth League. He also projects an assuredness that Eusebio struggled to convey, marking a change in approach. Not afraid to ruffle feathers, Vinyals has already fined Alen Halilovic for using Instagram to detail an injury, rather than leaving the club to announce it first. It's a small detail perhaps, but one that lays down the law clearly for anyone hoping for an easy ride. The choice of words in his first press conference as B manager supported that notion. "We have to improve our discipline a lot, both on and off the pitch. If you have quality as well as discipline, you're phenomenal." Vinyals will need to use the carrot as well as the stick. With B team players complaining they were bored of repeating the same exercises on a weekly basis under the previous coach, the key is not only to keep them in line, but also to keep them inspired. Beyond consolidating the team's second division status, Vinyals is also tasked with repairing the mental state of a group of young men with an average age of only 20. Not just for the sake of Barca B, but Barca A, too.
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