Denis Suarez Will Be Barcelona's Player to Watch in Pre-Season

Offseason: What offseason?

Just two months after playing their last competitive fixture of 2015-16 and not even three weeks after the conclusion of Euro 2016, Barcelona will kick-off their pre-season campaign on July 30 against Celtic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 

The clash is the first of three outings for Barcelona in the International Champions Cup, after which the Catalans will face Leicester City in Sweden and then Liverpool at London's Wembley Stadium on August 3 and 6, respectively. 

From there, Luis Enrique's men will return home to contest the Gamper Trophy at the Camp Nou with Sampdoria on August 10, before beginning their 2016-17 season with the two-legged Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla. 

Already, the summer campaign strikes as more intriguing for Barcelona than the corresponding period of last year, due to the club's activity in the transfer market. Having signed Samuel Umtiti from Olympique Lyonnais and Lucas Digne from Paris-Saint Germain, and having bought back Denis Suarez from Villarreal, Barcelona will be in a period of experimentation over the coming weeks, with the new faces ready to be tested, an array of combinations to be trailed and position battles set to be evaluated. 

There'll be plenty to keep an eye on—Suarez in particular.  

Momentum

It's significant for Suarez that he returns to the Camp Nou ready to hit the ground running. 

Though he needed time to establish himself in Villarreal's starting XI in 2015-16 (his move to El Madrigal was made in the final days of last summer's transfer window, which gave him ground to make up on team-mates already embedded within the setup), from late October onward the 22-year-old was an undisputed starter in one of the standout teams in the division. 

Playing predominantly from the left in Marcelino's 4-4-2, Suarez steadily became the team's primary creator, cutting inside to test defences with his pace, drive, vision and aggressive mindset. He tallied five goals and 11 assists across all competitions and was a key figure in Villarreal's run to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals with seven assists in that competition alone. 

Such momentum gives him an advantage. 

Positionally, Suarez is competing with Arda Turan, Rafinha and Munir El Haddadi for time across an array of slots in midfield and attack as a secondary option. But unlike him, Turan and Munir are entering the new season on the back of underwhelming years, while Rafinha sat out almost the entire 2015-16 season with a knee injury. 

The Galician, then, has a step on his rivals as pre-season approaches. As a new signing, he can provide an immediate impact in the way other acquisitions of recent years such as Turan, Aleix Vidal and Luis Suarez haven't been able to because of transfer restrictions and suspensions at the time of their arrival. 

From Day 1 of pre-season, Denis Suarez is ready to go. 

Headache Cure

One of the primary issues Barcelona had last season was the lack of a back-up forward capable of effectively deputising for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in attack.

Both Munir and Sandro Ramirez were given opportunities, and Turan and Vidal represented other options, but Enrique remained unconvinced. His winter pursuit of Nolito wasn't surprising. 

In Denis Suarez, though, the Blaugrana boss now has a player capable of covering both of the wide positions in the front line. His skill set is a natural fit for Neymar's post in particular. Suarez thus relieves the headache Enrique had faced when considering rotation for the MSN, as now the drop off between his stars and the fourth forward won't be so extreme. 

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The former Villarreal man should see plenty of opportunities to occupy Neymar's position in pre-season, too. With the Brazilian set to compete in this summer's Olympics, an event which runs until August 21, Suarez will be a prominent figure against the likes of Celtic, Leicester, Liverpool and Sampdoria. 

His early success or otherwise could have a wide-ranging impact. 

Ripple Effect

Indeed, Suarez's performances in pre-season won't only help to shape his immediate future at Barcelona; they'll also affect the immediate outlook of several around him and possibly determine decisions at club level. 

The simple fact that the young attacker has been re-signed says that Barcelona deem him necessary. For existing positional rivals such as Turan and Munir in particular, it's a strong message. 

If the new man quickly excels, their outlooks will be bleak. 

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Thus, Suarez's performances in pre-season—and in the early part of the new campaign—could influence Barcelona's decision-making over a contract renewal for Munir and Turan's long-term future at the Camp Nou. They might also shape decisions regarding the pursuit of a new striker. 

According to the Catalan daily Sport, Barcelona have shown an interest in Sevilla's Kevin Gameiro, Atletico Madrid's Luciano Vietto and Palmeiras' Gabriel Jesus this summer. Antonio Sanabria, another reported target, has just signed for Real Betis. 

The issue for Barcelona is their inability to offer guaranteed first-team football given the presence of the MSN. "It's very hard to convince players to come here with the three we have up front," admitted the club's technical secretary Robert Fernandez this week. 

But Suarez could lessen the urgency for the singing of an additional forward. If in pre-season he shows he can offer the threat and incision from wide areas that Barcelona need, Enrique will have the tools to rotate to the extent that's necessary given that the former B-team player could fill in for Messi and Neymar. Those two in turn can both play centrally to give a break to Luis Suarez. 

All of it makes Denis Suarez the one to watch in pre-season.