Luis Suarez’s four-month long ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup is almost up and with that the Uruguayan forward will be able to make his competitive debut for FC Barcelona this Saturday (Noon ET kickoff on beIN SPORTS and DishWorld) in the most appropriate of fixtures, the first Clásico of the season at the Bernabeu.
The question for Barcelona manager Luis Enrique remains how best to fit Suarez into an already impressive Barcelona team fresh off a 3-1 victory over a young Ajax side midweek. The most likely scenario is that Pedro will drop out to make way for the Catalan giants’ record signing.
On Saturday evening against Eibar, Barcelona lined up in their traditional 4-3-3 system with Lionel Messi as a faux-centre-forward and Neymar on the left-wing. Pedro was positioned on the right but struggled to have an impact on the match.
Programming note: For viewers in the United States, this Saturday’s el Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be shown live on beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Espanol and DishWorld (with coverage beginning at 11am ET). Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can access those channels via online streaming service DishWorld for $10/month. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.
It was very much the Messi and Neymar show as the two South Americans showed fantastic linkup play with the hope of a partnership between the pair looking to have finally come through for Barcelona. Pedro was isolated for much of the evening and didn’t receive the service necessary to make an impact in the final third.
One of the great qualities of Luis Suarez is how he can constantly create opportunities for himself. If we look at the struggles Liverpool are having at the start of this season in terms of creativity, we can put this down to missing Suarez. Mario Balotelli is a talent, undoubtedly. However the Italian needs service. Seldom will he create something himself other the occasional long range shot.
Suarez on the other hand works tirelessly to come deep into the midfield and take the ball before making something happen with a surging run. An example of this are his numerous goals against Norwich City over the course of the past two season, Suarez’s hard work in areas, which perhaps aren’t the most profitable for him, end up allowing him to create chances for himself.
READ MORE — How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona online.
This is a characteristic which will really give Barcelona an added dimension in the final third. Messi and Neymar each have their own roles however Pedro needs service. Of course, this is usually not a problem with Xavi Iniesta and Rakitic in tow but it isn’t a self-sufficient model of attack. Suarez on the other hand will be able to work up and down the right-flank and create openings and really boost the team’s dominance in games.
Finally the performances of Dani Alves at right-back currently aren’t up to the standard he has previously set and Suarez’s work on the right could even see Barcelona tighten up the defensive side of their game with Eibar having exploited Alves on at least three key occasions in the first-half last Saturday.
The question of Suarez’s fitness remains and there has been no indication yet as to how Luis Enrique will use Suarez, whether he will be eased back into the life of a first-team footballer or whether he will be thrown in at the archetypal deep-end of the Santiago Bernabeu, home of the current European champions.
In all likelihood, I feel Suarez will start. You cannot keep a player with those abilities away from the pitch any longer, especially when the Uruguayan has shown a fantastic level of general fitness since his move to Liverpool, in a much more physically demanding football environment. Pedro’s position is the one under most scrutiny and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see the Spaniard drop out on Saturday evening to make room for Suarez and begin the total transformation of Barcelona’s forward line.
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