How will Luis Enrique rotate his center backs this season?

After rotating the center backs against Alavés and playing a back three vs Leganes, I began to cogitate how Luis Enrique will rotate his central defenders this season.

The center back pairings over the past few seasons has been a vexing yet minimal issue for Barcelona over the past few seasons. They’ve been able to overcome depth issues and achieve wonderful success.

But despite all the recent success, they situation at the back has been an underlying cause for concern amongst cules.  Whether it’s been poor performances or minute bench options, there hasn’t been much stability in recent years.

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Here’s what Barça have had going for them in defense the past few years:

The Piqué-Mascherano partnership has had a monumental impact for the squad. The duo is one of the best pairings in the world when on form. However, there lies an issue; they aren’t always on form. And when I say they, I mean Mascherano. He’s always been one for wild tackles, but they’ve been especially abundant lately. Luckily, Piqué has been playing superbly over the past year so Mascherano’s performances have not hurt the squad too much. However, when Piqué isn’t playing, his showings have a much more intensive analyzation. Without Piqué, Barça’s defense lacks a stabilizer, or composer. Mascherano’s style of play takes a nosedive without a player like Piqué.

The options behind the aforementioned duo haven’t been fruitful. In 2013/2014, there was a 36 year old Carles Pouyol and a promising but unproven Marc Bartra. In 2014/2015, Barça had more players to choose from: Bartra, Thomas Vermaelen, and Jérémy Mathieu. But Vermaleen spent the majority of the season injured and Bartra wasn’t improving fast enough. Only Mathieu provided an adequate enough option. Last season was arguably the worst; none of three could be counted upon if either Piqué or Mascherano went down. Mathieu suffered a horrendous downfall, Vermaleen wasn’t consistent enough, and Marc Bartra still wasn’t able to convince Luis Enrique. Fortunately, Piqué and Mascherano have been able to stay healthy these past few seasons, so there hasn’t been a sudden call for the bench players to start. But that’s a dangerous line to toe.

This season, the arrival of Samuel Umtiti has given the back line a much-needed jolt. Finally, Barça have someone who can start if Pique or Mascherano can’t. Perhaps to the surprise of some, Umtiti has adapted very quickly. His recent performances against Athletic Bilbao, Celtic, and Leganés have left

cules

with a sense of hope and excitement. Some have bee calling for him to start over Mascherano; I personally wouldn’t have a problem with that. I’m not campaigning for it, but it’s something that seems inevitable so it might as well just happen. Barcelona have let both Bartra and Vermaelen leave, so Mathieu is the only other CB they have. 3 good options is nice, but a 4th would be greatly welcomed. Mathieu just isn’t the same player he was in that first season.

We’ve already seen this season that Luis Enrique isn’t afraid to rotate. Mascherano has been benched a couple of times, Pique’s been rested, and there’s even been a back three deployed. But sometimes these rotations produce unintended results. Look no further than the Leganés game, when Mascherano and Mathieu started. Neither looked comfortable with each other and ended up conceding two goals. That game showed Luis Enrique that he must be careful and smart about when rotating.

But when should he rotate, and what should the pairings be? Let’s take a look at who each player should partner with.

Gerard Piqué

Piqué is the lynchpin of Barça’s defense: Basically, if he’s fit, you play him. Due to his calming presence, ball distribution, and aerial ability, he can be partnered with anybody and Barcelona’s defense will be in good hands.

Samuel Umtiti

Like Piqué, Umtiti provides a composure and stability at the back. He is left footed, so Luis Enrique will more often than not play him with a right footed player: Piqué or Mascherano. Perhaps playing with Mathieu would be successful, but that’s just conjecture. We can’t know until Luis Enrique actually does it.

Javier Mascherano

As we’ve already seen, a Mascherano-Mathieu pairing isn’t ideal. Mascherano’s energy works best with Piqué or Umtiti’s tranquility.  He needs someone to provide stability in order to get the best out of him. What he does have for him though is the ability to distribute the ball to build up play. But if he doesn’t have a calming presence next to him, then you won’t be seeing much of it.

Jérémy Mathieu

Mathieu is in the same boat as Mascherano; he desperately needs either Piqué or Umtiti to play along side him. Not necessarily because he’s reckless like the Argentine, but because he’s nowhere near as good as the other three. Mathieu really isn’t the type of player you want on a Barcelona team. He’s soon becoming the newest deadweight for Barça.

Now lets take a look at who should play in what games:

The Big Ones (Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, UCL knockout stage)

When the going gets tough, you go to what works best for you. Against elite clubs, Piqué needs to be on the field. That much we known now. As to who is replacement is, that depends on the current moment. If Mascherano is playing better than Umtiti, then you start him; and vice-versa. With the upcoming game against Atlético on Wednesday, Umtiti should got the nod; he’s been impeccable so far this season. But who knows, Mascherano could be in great form by the time of the first clásico,  and it may be foolish to drop him for Umtiti. Don’t ever expect to see Mathieu in those kind of games, unless Barça actually want to lose.

The challenging but definitely winnable games (Tough away La Liga games, UCL group stage, late CDR rounds, etc)

In these games, Barça has a bit more leeway. While having Piqué is certainly a major advantage, Barça should be able to win them; so long as Umtiti is playing. That’s the key for Lucho this season: If Piqué isn’t playing, them Umtiti MUST be, and vice-versa. Barça can’t afford to put Mascherano and Mathieu together, or they’ll be susceptible to a repeat of the Alavés game. When it comes to Mathieu, he shouldn’t be on the field unless the other three are injured. Either Piqué-Umtiti, Masherano-Umtiti, or Piqué-Umtiti should be expected to play, depending on injuries and/or form.

The gimme’s (Home/Away games vs weak opposition)

These matches can range from the early rounds of the Copa del Rey to games vs weak La Liga sides. There won’t be many of these games; Barça can’t afford to underestimate their opponents. Again, the Alavés game is a perfect example. But when they do come about, any lineup should work, even a Mascherano-Mathieu pairing. (I sincerely hope this doesn’t come back to bite me.)

Luis Enrique must be clever with his rotations. No matter how good the midfield or attack is, a vulnerable defense will bring everything else down. Hopefully, he will be able to manage his options and help lead Barcelona to another successful season.