After a relatively slow start to his Barcelona career, Luis Suarez is beginning to come into his own in the Blaugrana half of Catalonia.
A four-month Fifa-imposed sabbatical was always going to have an effect on the Uruguayan’s general fitness and state of mind, so anyone suggesting that he would hit the ground running was barking up the wrong tree.
That his first contribution on debut in a Barca shirt was actually an assist for Neymar at the Santiago Bernabeu gave a nod to what was to come.
And here we are, four months on from that first appearance against Real Madrid, and the Luis Suarez of Liverpool vintage is finally showing his face.
Much has already been made in certain circles of a lack of goals on Suarez’s part, but that neatly overlooks his full contribution elsewhere on the pitch. This calendar year alone, up to and including the Malaga game at the weekend, Suarez can count five assists to his name, to add to his four goals.
Furthermore, his work-rate has been nothing short of sensational. His appetite for the game, if you’ll forgive the pun, has been ravenous.
It’s perhaps also worth mentioning that Suarez has gone from being the main man at Liverpool to a supplementary presence for Lionel Messi and a system that revolves around the Argentine captain. Making a success of that kind of transition takes intelligence, hard graft and, most importantly, time.
Let’s also not forget Neymar’s own struggles from a year ago. Now fully versed in the nuances of Barca’s system of play, the Brazilian is rivalling Messi as the kingpin of the squad.
We should certainly expect the same of Suarez from the beginning of next season. Even now his movement and interplay are becoming more complimentary to his attacking brethren on a game-by-game basis.
Taking a broader view, football folk need to bear in mind the old adage that ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’. Just look at the malaise that Cristiano Ronaldo currently finds himself in.
The Portuguese shared Suarez’s Golden Shoe with 31 league goals last season and I’d dismiss any notion that he isn’t the same player of 12 months ago. The same courtesy should be extended to Suarez.
Barcelona fans are a notoriously fickle bunch, but even they are beginning to appreciate exactly what it is that Suarez brings to Barca’s front line. Early comparisons are being made to the Henry-Messi-Eto’o triumvirate that ruled the European roost a few years ago.
Whilst that might be a little premature, there’s little doubt that Barca’s vast £75 million spend is beginning to look like better value with each passing 90 minutes.
Once the goals start flowing, then any suggestion of overpayment or discussion on whether the purchase was necessary or not is moribund.
— The writer is a freelance journalist and Spanish football expert