Luis Enrique has dismissed suggestions that he is risking overworking the golden trio of Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Luis Suarez.

The trio have been the finest attacking force in world football of late. Their goals have helped Barcelona hide their mediocre defence quite easily. The club are undefeated in the last 34 games of all competitions largely due to the goalscoring prowess of these three players. However, statistics reveal that they have been part of a huge amount of games already. Collectively, they have appeared in 108 games while contributing 94 goals in these matches.

Some have viewed this as an excessive number with the season still only up to its third. There is a risk of having to do without one or more of these players for a significant time in the business end of the season. Enrique says that he will not commit such risks and the club are continuously monitoring the physical status of a player before naming him as part of the starting line-up. Barcelona are up against Rayo Vallecano followed by a game against Getafe this weekend. Arsenal are the visitors to the Camp Nou next week for the last 16 Champions League match. Due to the healthy 12 point advantage in the league over Real Madrid, Barcelona can afford to rest a few players in the la Liga. Jenny Campbell, a sports nutritionalist, said that it is likely that burn-out will happen to some players, at some stage.

“Resting the three forwards will depend on what I see fit.It is something that I haven’t brought up. We will see – to be a coach is to continually take decisions. Each player has their own physical profile and we have it under control. Don’t worry, because I always do things that benefit the team. We will not commit risks.Fatigue is normal and common, similar to last season, and I’m looking forward to the key games that will decide the titles,” said Enrique.