Why didn't FC Barcelona play their strongest eleven against Manchester United in the Europa League knockout tie?

Eyebrows were raised when Xavi announced his line-up against Manchester United. After a very solid run, with a settled defensive line for the most challenging matches, the coach decided to mix things up.

Christensen and Balde were taken out of the line-up; Marcos Alonso and Jordi Alba came in.

Before the game Xavi explained his reasons:

"The two changes in defence are because there are a lot of games in the next few days. Seven in 21 days and we have to use all our players to prevent injuries. We need to rotate".

And then he added: "We have already seen what has happened with Pedri".

The most striking thing was that Xavi seemed to take more into account the wear and tear against Villarreal than the proximity of the match against Cadiz, an ideal test for rotations.

From the line-up against United, beyond avoiding the fatigue of some players, it is also clear that La Liga is the main priority. And that many of Barça's decisions this season must be understood in this sense.

Xavi presented his ideal eleven at La Cerámica, despite the proximity of the United game. It was necessary to increase the gap with Madrid and no key player was left out.

A few weeks ago the coach did not hide the club's intentions: "for us, the league is the most important objective once we are out of the Champions League", he recalled.

At the club, they know the importance of winning La Liga to strengthen the project. In this sense, they understand that Barça are still in the process of starting a winning cycle. A process that starts by winning the local league first and then returning to the dream of the Champions League next season.

The club is not giving up on winning the Cup or the Europa League this season, but the main objective is winning La Liga.