Luis Suarez Discusses Fitting in with Barcelona, Golden Boot and More

Luis Suarez has revealed he once had doubts about how he would fit in at Barcelona, specifically his role in the club's short-passing style of play. But the prolific Uruguayan also believes his role as Barca's No. 9 has helped fellow attacker Lionel Messi find more space to terrorise defences.

Speaking to ESPN, in an interview relayed by the club's official YouTube channel, Suarez revealed he "didn't imagine" he'd fit in with a side so geared to keeping the ball on the deck and passing short.

But the former Liverpool and Ajax star thinks he's given Messi "a bit more freedom," something that's helped the gifted No. 10 thrive—opponents do seem to find it tougher to mark the Argentina international with Suarez playing through the middle.

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The latter has helped himself to 37 goals in Spain's top flight, according to WhoScored.com. As he closes in on the Pichichi, the league's top-scorer award, Suarez paid tribute to the work of his team-mates in the ESPN interview: “As of late, they’ve been looking for me more so I can score.”

Specifically, Suarez highlighted how Messi and Neymar have been letting him take penalties as he vies for the Golden Boot, a race he leads by four goals over Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Suarez and Co. currently lead chief rivals Real Madrid by a point in La Liga table, and the Blaugrana will seal the title with a win at Granada on Saturday in the season's final gameweek.

It's a situation he summed up well in the aforementioned interview: "Obviously, we have our fate in our own hands."

That advantage has come after Barca let their lead at the top slip amid a bad run of form that included four defeats in five. Suarez cited the 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid in the season's second Clasico in early April as the start of their slide.

He also noted how being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Atletico Madrid at the quarter-final stage left a "bitter taste," but he sought some mild consolation in losing to one of the finalists of this season's tournament.

Suarez insisted Barca stayed "united" during their bad spell, a quality he believes got the team back on track.

With the league in sight, the 29-year-old looked ahead to the Copa del Rey final, where he expects Sevilla to give Barca a tough game. It's an understandable worry, given the quality in the opposition ranks, headlined by striker Kevin Gameiro.

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Suarez has certainly made those around him better since his arrival in 2014. While he won't match the treble he won in his first season, the striker is a good bet to inspire a double and enjoy his own personal glory by beating Ronaldo to the Golden Boot.