5 things Barcelona must keep in mind while rotating their squad during February

They survived a very tough October 2018. This is even tougher but if somebody could make it through this month, then it is Barcelona.

#3 Rotate but rotate smartly

Carles Alena was started at left-wing against Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey. If rotations are a must then this is not the way that it should have been done.

We saw the first leg at Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey and it was horrific. The rotations were horrible that night. In a bid to rest Alba, Semedo was played at a position where he has never played before. Alena was moved to the wings rather than the midfield. A forward line with no experienced player was fielded.

At all costs, Barcelona has to avoid making these errors. If you want to rotate, do it smartly and be bold, but don't do it by playing players out of position. Not the youngsters, at least. Here is a better rotation for the game that Barcelona played at Sevilla. Alba should be given a rest, no doubt, but why stick to 4-3-3 then, play a three-man defence, get Semedo at wing-back on the right-side alongside the other midfielders. Why try to rest all the first-team forwards at once? Use Coutinho at left-wing rather than forcing Alena in there, or use Suarez as the left-inside forward.

There are ample solutions to rotate while playing enough first-team and experienced players. There are some important points to consider while rotating. Don't start a forward line without at least one experienced player. Don't start a centre-back combination without one of Pique or Lenglet, not somebody who has never played together before. Don't move players, especially youngsters out of position. Last, don't be afraid to start the new arrivals given they have the experience alongside them. By experience, we mean experience of playing at Barcelona, not at some other place. Eg: Arthur is more experienced than Kevin Prince. But both Malcom and Kevin-Prince are inexperienced, given Malcom has hardly played even though he arrived in the summer.

Here is a random lineup with enough rotations.

Pena, Sergi Roberto, Pique/Lenglet, Vermaelen/Murillo, Miranda, Samper, Vidal, Arthur, Malcom/Dembele, Malcom/Suarez/Kevin-Prince, Coutinho.

This is a lineup that has ample experience. The combinations would be something like, if Malcom is in the wings start Suarez, if Dembele is in the wings, use Malcom or Kevin-Prince as the striker. It is possible.