Luis Enrique's midfield puzzle at Barcelona

On Monday, Luis Enrique takes his Barcelona squad to St. Gerorge's Park, the home of the English Football Association in Birmingham, to step up their pre-season preparations.

The Asturian's objective is to work calmly and spend time with his players away from the Asian and American tours which are common place in football these days. He will work the players physically, while also allowing the squad to come to terms with his footballing philosophy.

And above all else that he has to do, Enrique has to figure out what to do with his midfielders.

Lionel Messi has been a key part of the great Barça side of recent seasons, but there has always been a talented, technical midfield behind him.

MANY PIECES

Here starts the problems for Luis Enrique, although they are nice problems to have. As of today, there are nine midfielders in the Blaugrana squad, which offers a variety of options but also is an excessive amount of players, which could be an inconvenience.

The most well-known combination, Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta, maintain their places in the dressing room, however it is not clear if that will also be the case on the pitch.

Cesc Fabregas' departure has eased the situation, while Xavi's decision to stay, when he appeared to set to leave, has changed things slightly. The 34-year-old will continue at Camp Nou for the moment.

The subject of Xavi is not a minor one. He 'was' Barça: their conductor of play and their barometer. Finding someone - or more than one person - to replace his function in the side will not be easy.

THE NINE

For their part, Busquets and Iniesta remain key men, but it is evident that during the last campaign they suffered from an accumulation of games. From this point of view, the presence of Ivan Rakitic and Rafinha Alcantara seems fundamental to offer them relief.

The club also hope that Sergi Roberto is ready demonstrate his talent in the first team.

Enrique also likes the idea of restoring Javier Mascherano to a midfield role, where he would offer a stronger alternative to Busquets than Alex Song.

The Cameroon international has not impressed at Barça and the intention is to sell him. It is a similar case with the Dutch player Ibrahim Afellay, a versatile player who has had no luck with injuries.

With all this going on, Enrique will have to decide how many midfielders he wants in the squad and what the hierarchy among them will be. The construction of the new Barça continues with the engine room: central midfield.