Why Luis Suarez Must Step Up for Barcelona to Overcome the Loss of Lionel Messi

What is the course of action when the world's best footballer is unavailable?

Only one club, one squad and one manager can deal with the situation at a given time; Barcelona are unwilling participants in this humble experiment.

Lionel Messi, out injured for at least the next four weeks, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, leaves an undeniable and problematic vacuum in Luis Enrique's treble-winning side.

Under usual circumstances, the Catalan giants would possess reinforcements—not to Messi's level, but commensurate with the standard of football Barcelona supporters have enjoyed for decades.

That environment does not currently exist.

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Banned from making substantive transfer in 2015, the Blaugrana have sold players (e.g. Pedro to Chelsea), and bought players (e.g. Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid), but cannot insert their new pieces until January of next year.

All of his players at 100 percent fitness and the task of retaining three trophies was going to be a march, so Enrique's squad suffering multiple injuries has dented his cause.

None greater, though, than Messi. Suffering "a tear in the internal collateral ligament of his left knee," according to Barca's official Twitter page, the gaping hole created by the 28-year-old's absence must be filled.

Expecting one footballer to shoulder the burden of Messi's role, like a footballing Atlas, is borderline pathological. The job is for a committee.

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Starting with defense, the likes of Gerard Pique and Dani Alves must become even tighter at the back. Often it seems Messi is a one-man band. No matter how poorly his team plays, he finds a way to score at least one goal greater than the opposition.

That would-be "get-out-of-jail-free card" no longer works. Barcelona must maintain clean sheets and build from there.

In central midfield, it is imperative Ivan Rakitic, for instance, intensifies his work-rate to make up for the lack of dynamism Messi provides from deeper positions. Looking at attacking midfield, Brazilian star Neymar bears the brunt of Barca's creative responsibilities. The 23-year-old already has a massive pile of food on his proverbial plate but, sans the No. 10, the flashy youngster must consume more.

Messi's primary trait, past creativity and attracting attention, is scoring goals.

Since his debut in 2004, the Argentine southpaw has registered 289 goals in 321 La Liga matches. He is the Primera Division's all-time leading goalscorer by a distance of 38, and has years to extend the margin. Messi, quite simply (and not to insult our collective intelligence), is lethal.

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With or without their talisman, the man tasked with providing Barcelona goals is £75 million striker Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan centre-forward was bought from Liverpool last summer with the express purpose of alleviating the pressures both Messi and Neymar have. In one, or both, of their absences, the task of getting Barca goals—and, in turn, points—rests in large part with their most lucrative purchase ever.

At previous clubs, Suarez has shown his ability to dominate leagues (scoring 49 goals in 48 appearances for Ajax in 2009/10, and 31 goals in 37 appearances for Liverpool in 2013/14). That form needs to be birthed once more.

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Competing in a triangle with the world's best player and one of the world's best young superstars, chances for Suarez to fully display his worth are few and far between. When one of the trio is missing, the stage becomes smaller, but the spotlight intensifies.

Suarez must take executive responsibilities for Barca's goalscoring burden, proving his hefty price tag is warranted—without the gravitational pull of Messi.

A successful tour of duty should see Enrique's men in fantastic position to progress—once 2016's reinforcements arrive—and show the Barcelona faithful, while Messi's presence is a cheat code of sorts, life with Suarez might not be too dire an existence.

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*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.