Barcelona injuries: 5 replacements for Sergio Busquets

3. Javier Mascherano

The crucial thing about Busquets and his role in the Barça team is his ability allows Enrique, just as it did Tata Martino, Tito Vilanova and Pep Guardiola before him, to use a single pivot. Most teams, Real Madrid included, use a double pivot, that is two deep midfielders offering protection to the backline.

There are not many midfielders with the ability to provide enough balance to a team alone, if any now Xabi Alonso has told Bayern Munich of his decision to retire at the end of the season. Therefore, the most obvious and sensible idea would be to play Javier Mascherano in the role.

He is the only midfield player in the squad, other than Busquets, who excels at the ‘ugly’ side of the game. There are few better at tackling and winning possession, and since joining Barcelona in 2010, he has come on leaps and bounds in a technical and tactical sense too despite primarily playing in defence.

Despite allowing his attackers to wreak havoc, Enrique is also known for being rather conservative and picking Mascherano would back that point up.

With Samuel Umtiti making himself at home at centre back alongside Gerard Pique, the 32-year-old Argentine’s future was in doubt. It was believed Mascherano could have followed Dani Alves in departing the club in search of a new challenge, but he instead signed a new three-year deal.

Talk of a double pivot with Busquets, subsequently moving away from the club’s ideology, has been discussed but not come to fruition. Perhaps Mascherano can reaffirm his importance in the next couple of weeks?