Barcelona: Luis Suarez hitting form at the right time

Luis Suarez scored the opening goal in a crucial win over Atletico Madrid to extend Barcelona’s lead in the league.

It’s no secret that Barcelona are reliant on Lionel Messi due to his unique skillset and unrivalled ability which allows him to be the chief creator and main goalscorer for the team as well as being involved in build-up play. He can carry the team so far, but even he needs help if they are to win the European treble, and this is why the form of other attackers is pivotal to Barcelona’s success this season. Luis Suarez has started to contribute at key moments in recent games, which is a hugely promising sign.

In his last five games, Suarez has scored three goals and assisted three others — including the opener against Atletico Madrid as well as the equaliser in the thrilling 4-4 draw with Villarreal. He can be an incredibly frustrating player to watch due to the number of chances that he misses as well as the various attacking moves that break down due to him when he isn’t at his best. However, he is also capable of moments of magic that can change games.

Against Atletico, Barcelona were patient in possession late into the game, but they were struggling to create clear-cut chances even though the opposition were down to 10 men. They needed inspiration and Suarez provided it. Jordi Alba passed to him when he was on the edge of the box and looked for the return, instead, Suarez quickly turned to create space from Thomas Partey before curling a shot into the opposite corner. Not long after that, Messi was played in behind the defence and guaranteed the win with a composed finish.

The 32-year-old had missed an earlier chance when he hit a shot at Jan Oblak after Messi had played him in behind the defence, so his goal more than made up for that. Altogether the Uruguayan has scored 23 goals and assisted 11 in 3502 minutes, so he’s having an impressive season, but he has room for improvement as he is yet to score in the Champions League. He has started to decline as a player as can be seen with his numbers this season compared to previous seasons with the Catalans, however, he can still play a key role.

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Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom are also important to any potential success. There will be moments in the rest of the season when these players need to step up with their ingenuity and technical ability. Malcom’s threat from wide areas helped open up space in the central zones against Atletico by stretching the defence when he came on from the bench, which highlights how useful it is for Ernesto Valverde to have a variety of attacking options.

Dembele is due to return from an injury that he aggravated after being rushed back from a previous injury for the Lyon match. He has shown previously that he can be a match-winner through his contributions this season, so his return is a huge boost, with Coutinho set to lose out after failing to convince in the Frenchman’s absence.

Suarez will be the main attacking contributor alongside Messi, though, due to his chemistry with the Argentine as well as the chances he is provided. Therefore, he needs to maintain his recent form and translate it to the Champions League for the rest of the season if Barca are to come away with a third European treble.