Change at Barça: Luis Enrique avoiding playing Inesta and Xavi together

Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta have been two of the first names on Barcelona's team sheet for many seasons, but with Luis Enrique's appointment as boss, and especially since the start of 2015, history has begun to change for the pair. 

Since defeat at Anoeta against Real Sociedad in the first match of the current year, Barça's boss has only fielded Xavi and Iniesta on the grass at the same time for 11 minutes in 14 matches -- eight in the league, five in the cup and one in the Europe. Those 11 minutes came in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final win over Atlético Madrid. 

It demonstrates the direction Luis Enrique is trying to take the side, with him preferring Ivan Rakitic's more direct and physical profile, or even that of Rafinha. 

Rakitic is experiencing his best run of form since signing for the club and the Croatian is the midfielder who has been handed most minutes in the middle of the pitch since 2014 ended (780) -- without including Javier Mascherano (1,049) and Sergio Busquets (892), with those two occupying deeper positions. 

The only matches when Luis Enrique didn't use either Xavi or Iniesta since the turn of the year was in the Copa tie with Elche. In the first leg he played Sergi Roberto and Rakitic, while in the return leg he played Gerard Gumbau with Roberto. 

Both Xavi and Iniesta continue to have a role to play in the Barça side, albeit separately.