Luis Suarez Continues to Prove the Doubters Wrong at Barcelona

Luis Suarez had made no secret of his admiration for Barcelona before signing, but it's fair to say that his arrival wasn’t met with the same courtesy. 

The media frenzy whipped up after his biting incident at the World Cup surely helped inform public opinion.

Why else would there be such a furore over the signature of a player who, World Cup aside, had come to Catalonia off the back of a Golden Shoe-equaling 31 goals?

Jointly held with Cristiano Ronaldo, the accolade was evidence of a magnificent season. A campaign where he was without question the best player in the Premier League.

By the time of his debut at the Santiago Bernabeu in October, the eyes of the football world were focused on his every move, and an assist to Neymar with his first touch was a fine way to begin his Blaugrana career.

That he didn’t then go on to set the world alight was wholly understandable, but the doom-mongers were out in force again with their tales of woe.

Similar to Neymar’s entry the season previous, the lack of understanding from the Camp Nou terraces and beyond was mind-blowing.

Judging him at the end of the season would’ve been a far more sensible rationale, but it seemed that instant returns were demanded.

"

With 13 goals and 13 assists, Luis Suarez has been directly involved in 26 goals in his 26 games for Barcelona #fcblive

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) March 10, 2015"

A perceived lack of support from the home fans may have gone some way to ensuring Suarez’s slow start with the Blaugrana continued. After all, no one is immune to criticism.

The watershed moment in almost every sense came in the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain.

Suarez had already opened his account in the previous group game against APOEL, but this was the first time that the Uruguayan completely gelled with Neymar and Lionel Messi.

A goal and an assist for Messi in a man-of-the-match performance was just what the doctor ordered.

His progress since has been steady and, over the course of the last few games, we are beginning to see the Luis Suarez of old.

A member of football's intelligentsia, the primary reason why Suarez is such a good foil for Neymar and Messi is because of his appreciation of their game, and how best he fits into that dynamic.

His movement, as we saw regularly at Liverpool, is second to none, and that only comes from having the nous of when to engage or when to sit and hold. 

Suggestions that he wasn't worth the money when he was still trying to find his feet in the side are frankly preposterous. Players of that quality simply don't turn into bad exponents overnight.

In hindsight, the spell on the sidelines may have worked in Barca's favour because it's given Suarez a chance to study in detail what parts of his own game needed to be adapted to fit in with the formation that Luis Enrique wanted to play.

The goals are flowing now and all of a sudden he's flavour of the month with those who wanted rid just a few months ago.

Pushing up the goals-for column on top of what he has already brought to the side, in terms of a tireless work ethic and a "team before individual" attitude, is a huge bonus.

He's keeping defenders busy and unsettled all on his own, allowing Messi and Neymar the chance to forage deep into enemy territory.

Three's definitely not a crowd in this case and credit must go to Suarez for that.