Luis Suarez, Ansu Fati, Marc-Andre ter Stegen's Top Stats as Barcelona's MVPs

Lionel Messi's injury-interrupted start to the season has left Barcelona doubly reliant on Luis Suarez. Fortunately for the Blaugrana, Suarez has met the challenge and rediscovered his scoring touch to help the club to second in La Liga, just two points shy of leaders Real Madrid. 

Suarez scored during Saturday's 4-0 win over Sevilla, which also represented another clean sheet for goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Germany international hasn't always had the help of a stable defence, but he's made big saves in crucial moments.

While familiar faces have produced through the first eight games, Barca have also been boosted by the emergence of new talent from their famed youth academy. Ansu Fati, 16, has proved he can handle the responsibility of first-team football with some exceptional performances hinting at a bright future.

Suarez's Notable Stats (Per WhoScored.com)

• 4 goals
• 2.5 shots per game
• 0.5 dribbles per game

Suarez isn't quite the force he was when he moved to the Camp Nou from Liverpool back in 2014. The 0.5 dribbles per game hint at a striker less inclined to beat a marker with footwork and skill.

Instead, the 32-year-old is focusing more on dominating in shorter spaces. Specifically, he is calling the box home, using instincts and timing to seize upon and convert chances.

Those traits have helped a player who struggled for consistency at times last season rediscover his efficiency in front of goal:

Lest anyone should think form has completely replaced flair in Suarez's game, the Uruguayan's latest goal proved he hasn't lost his knack for the dramatic:

Suarez is in the kind of form that should worry Real and the rest of Barca's rivals, especially now Messi is back to full fitness. Expect goals to come in bunches for the player at the heart of the Barcelona forward line this season.

Fati's Notable Stats

• 2 goals
• 1 assist
• 1.4 dribbles per game
• 1.4 shots per game
• 82.6 per cent success rate

Goals in consecutive games, a 2-2 draw with Osasuna in August and September's 5-2 home win over Valencia, marked Fati as one to watch. In a short time, the teenager added the pace, dynamism and goal threat Barca missed from midfield last season.

In the process, Fati set both club- and league-wide records:

Those contributions were significant at a time when Messi was dealing with a thigh injury and €120 million import Antoine Griezmann struggled to adapt to his new surroundings. The Blaugrana were being bailed out by an untested talent with enough bravado to not be fazed by the pressure.

More than what he has brought to the pitch, Fati has also added optimism. Barca supporters had gotten used to seeing graduates of La Masia excite at the senior level, but things have changed on Ernesto Valverde's watch.

A more pragmatic coach has generally trusted experienced players over the promise of youth. Fati represents a prospect intriguing enough to help Barca maintain a fine tradition of refreshing from within.

Ter Stegen's Notable Stats (Per the club's official website)

• 1 assist
• 2 clean sheets
• 3 saves per game
• 10 clearances

Ter Stegen is the epitome of the modern goalkeeper, strong between the sticks and skilled enough to be an asset in his team's possession game. His assist for Suarez during a 2-0 win over Getafe on September 28 summed up the 27-year-old's value to how Barca build attacks and create chances.

Ter Stegen's brilliance so far this season has also extended outside of La Liga. He spared his team's blushes to earn a point away to Borussia Dortmund in Group F of the UEFA Champions League:

The game offered the perfect illustration of Ter Stegen's importance. Barca no longer keep the ball away from opponents as well as they did during the height of their so-called Tiki-Taka powers.

It means a defence that's dealt with injuries to Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti has been exposed more often. Ter Stegen has responded to being called into action with greater frequency with some of the best performances of his club career to mark becoming a fixture of Barcelona's optimum XI:

His workload won't get any lighter since Gerard Pique's skills have diminished at the heart of defence, while Lenglet has rarely convinced in a Barca shirt. So the club's most-reliable line of defence this season will remain the man tending goal.