Striking the right balance when deciding on rotations is easier said than done, but a 5-0 victory over Sporting Gijon while resting Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta showed that Luis Enrique can manage to integrate his newest players into the mix.
With summer mega-signing Andre Gomes, and the return of Denis Suarez, some began to wonder whether the squad had too many midfielders, though the Asturian coach hasn't hesitated to distribute minutes as he sees fit.
Rafinha and Arda Turan, both of whom looked promising on Saturday at the Estadio El Molinon, have already played in the midfield and the front three on the wings, a positional flexibility that helps them receive more playing time without disrupting the team's usual fluidity in midfield.
Yet despite all the rotations, two figures are more important than the rest: Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.
The defensive midfielder from Badia leads somewhat of a thin position within the squad in terms of back-up, as Sergi Roberto is needed at right-back, Javier Mascherano's form has been questionable, and Andre Gomes is still learning the trade.
Luis Enrique even experimented with a change in formation to a 3-4-3 to give Busquets rest, so it comes as little surprise that he has played 613 out of 850 minutes this season, the most on the team.
Rakitic is next in line with 570 total.
Though new faces may be getting minutes, and the coach has a lot of different players at his disposal, the backbone of the midfield remains the same, and it is worth keeping them rested for Europe's most difficult tests.
