Luis Suarez's dramatic loss of form is Barcelona's only source of concern heading into international break

Andy West 08:00 06/11/2017
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  • Luis Suarez‘s gradual deterioration in form has now become a dramatic collapse, and the problems being endured by the Uruguayan are a major concern for Barcelona as they head into the international break.

    Suarez was, without wishing to be impolite, absolutely dreadful during his team’s hard earned 2-1 win against Sevilla on Saturday, leaving the collective Camp Nou faithful shaking their heads and wondering what exactly has happened to their star striker.

    The tone was set for his performance in the fifth minute, when a long ball from Andres Iniesta sent him clean through on goal, but all he could do was send a tame chip straight into the arms of visiting keeper David Soria, who looked like he could not believe his luck that the shot was so bad.

    Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there for Suarez, who ended the game struggling to complete even the most simple of passes and eliciting the groans of the crowd as attack after attack broke down due to his poor touches.

    Fortunately for Suarez and Barça, another forward rode to the rescue as Paco Alcacer struck twice to secure the points which keep the Catalan club four points clear at the top of the table.

    But the manner in which Suarez was outshone by Alcacer only served to show how much the former is struggling, and the days when he finished with the Pichichi award for La Liga‘s leading goalscorer now seem a very long time ago.

    So what has happened? It could just be a simple matter of ageing. Suarez, who has not scored at Camp Nou for two months, is now approaching his 31st birthday and, for a player who had always relied on physical intensity, it would be understandable if his legs simply can’t function the way they used to.

    But that wouldn’t explain why he had become so bad so quickly, and Barça fans can hope there is another explanation: he is playing with an injury.

    You may recall that Suarez finished the preseason by limping heavily at the end of Barça’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid after hurting his knee.

    He subsequently missed the start of the campaign, sitting out the first two league games, before coming back to action much sooner than anticipated to assist Uruguay’s ultimately successful bid to qualify for the World Cup.

    Since then, he hasn’t really had a break, playing 16 games since the start of September. And there, perhaps, lies the problem: Suarez never allowed himself to fully recover from the knee injury which forced him to miss the start of the season and is now paying the price – both physically and mentally.

    His problem now, whatever it is, definitely has become mental as much as physical. That crucial yet elusive quality of confidence is clearly completely lacking.

    His body language in Saturday’s meeting with Sevilla told the tale of a man who believes the whole world is against him, and the spectacle of a man going through such obvious inner turmoil was actually painful to watch.

    It was probably painful for Suarez to play, as well. Towards the end he appeared to be hobbling, again, prompting the thought – the hope, really – that he is playing so badly because he is playing injured.

    Although neither Suarez nor his manager Ernesto Valverde have made a big deal of his physical fitness, he had been left out of the Uruguay squad for the upcoming international break, with his country’s FA specifically citing the knee injury as an explanation.

    So perhaps it’s just as simple as that. Suarez is struggling so much because he is unfit, and the body therefore can’t fulfil the mind’s bidding.

    Barcelona can only hope that’s the case, and that two weeks rest now will do him the world of good. If not, they’ve got a major problem.

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