With the hullabaloo surrounding Luis Suarez’s protracted switch to Barcelona finally set to reach a conclusion, it will soon be time to switch our attention to on-field matters and the question of how he will fit in at his new club.
It’s not a straightforward matter. Although Suarez is clearly one of the world’s greatest strikers, at Liverpool he benefitted from playing in a system which was purposely designed to get the most out of his talents.
At Barcelona, that will not be the case as he jostles for attention in a star-studded line-up already containing both Neymar and Lionel Messi, with the latter firmly established as the No1 star whose needs must be catered for ahead of anyone else’s.
As Neymar can attest, fitting into a team containing Messi is not easy. Throughout last season, the Brazilian struggled to strike the balance between expressing his own talents and providing the required service to his Argentine team-mate.
Indeed, it was notable that Neymar’s most impressive performances – such as a hat-trick in a 6-0 Champions League demolition of Celtic – came during Messi’s absence through injury.
When they played together, Neymar looked a subdued force, uncertain whether he should weave his own magic or fill a subservient role to Messi. The result was that he often ended up doing neither.
Messi’s overwhelming dominance of the Nou Camp pecking order has already claimed one victim this summer, with Alexis Sanchez being forced to move on after spending three years in his shadow.
Rather than gifted individual performers such as Sanchez and Neymar, the kind of man more suited to line up alongside Messi is someone like Pedro – a player of more modest talents and aspirations who is always happy to look for a pass to the No10 as his first option.
This is, of course, highly relevant to Suarez, who will have to make the difficult tactical and psychological transition from being his club’s biggest star to being just another servant of Messi.
On the other hand, however, perhaps incoming coach Luis Enrique is determined to reintroduce a more equal team structure to Barcelona, whereby Messi, Neymar and Suarez will all be given a fair opportunity to shine rather than a strategy overwhelmingly tilted towards just one player.
Problematically, the South American trio are all elusive, freespirited players who enjoy having the freedom to wander wherever they please instead of being constrained into a more fixed position.
Fitting all three of them in the same team whilst still retaining some sort of coherent team structure and a focal point for attacking play will be an enormous challenge for Enrique, but it’s one he must get right to maximise the talents of this awesome front three.
Mandzukic a perfect fit for Atleti
From Fernando Torres and Sergio Aguero to Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa, Atletico Madrid have been spoilt by an abundance of world-class striking talent over the last few years.
And now, with the acquisition of Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich, the reigning La Liga champions can be confident of continuing that tradition next season, while keeping Diego Simeone’s team competitive.
Mandzukic was surplus to requirements at Bayern partly due to the signing of Robert Lewandowski and partly because he did not fit into the style of play favoured by Pep Guardiola. However, everything that made Mandzukic unsuited to life in Munich should make him the perfect signing for Atletico.
At his new club Mandzukic will be able to thrive on a series of crosses into the penalty area from wide positions. His excellent ability to hold up the ball and bring his team-mates into play will be another valuable asset, along with his preparedness to ‘mix it’ with opposing defenders if the game becomes physical.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is the psychological element. By leaving Bayern to join Atletico, Mandzukic is making a move which most observers will regard as a step backwards.
Simeone loves nothing more than working with players who have a point to prove, and he’s found another extremely good one in the Croatian international.
