Barcelona have a Luis Suarez-sized problem

Barcelona struggled to finish their chances in their game against Lyon as Luis Suarez continued to falter.

Luis Suarez’s bad run of form was once again on display in Barcelona’s scoreless draw against Lyon. Barcelona had a total of 25 shots, which looks good but fails to tell the whole story. Of those 25 shots, only five were on target. Neither Suarez, Messi, Dembele, or Coutinho were able to find the back of the net with their shots.

Normally, it would simply be the case of bad luck but for Barcelona, and especially Luis Suarez, it is becoming something of a worrying pattern. The team creates chances but the forwards fail to capitalize on them. What makes it more concerning is that with none of the forwards firing at the moment, it becomes difficult to see who on the team can step up. That concern is for a variety of reasons.

The main concern comes down to Luis Suarez and who he represents. Suarez has been one of Barcelona’s better signings in the last few years as he was brought at a time when Barcelona were desperately in need of a center-forward with Suarez’s capabilities. Despite serving a three-month ban following another biting incident at the 2014 World Cup, he formed a strong trio alongside Neymar and Messi. He was one of the reasons why Barcelona won the treble that year. He had good follow-up seasons scoring a number of goals and contributing to the team.

However, he would occasionally go through these stretches of time where he wasn’t scoring. It wasn’t that big of a problem since Messi and Neymar picked up the slack. But that lack of scoring has become a problem in the past few seasons because of a lack of a back-up. Factor in Neymar leaving and Messi having to do pretty much everything, that lack of form became even more noticeable.

That poor form has been one of the reasons Barcelona has crashed out in the Champions League the last few seasons. Currently, Suarez has gone 1,252 days without scoring an away goal in the European tournament. He’s also gone a couple of games not scoring period and with Ernesto Valverde hesitant to play Kevin Prince Boateng, Barcelona are left with few alternatives. Paco Alcacer and Munir were supposed to be viable back-ups but managers have been reluctant to bench Suarez as he’s one of the more important players in that locker room. To avoid any discontent, Suarez continues to start in hopes that he rediscovers his form.

We’re in the middle of Luis Suarez’s goal scoring drought with no end in sight. He played very well during Messi’s absence early on but has dipped ever since the Argentine came back. Anyone who saw his game against Lyon saw the worst of the Uruguayan striker. His touches were heavy, his passes were poor, his decision-making was even worse.

Still, it would be unfair to blame the draw solely on him. All of Barcelona’s forwards, or the one Valverde utilizes, seem to be misfiring. Boateng hasn’t played enough to judge and Malcom, despite being their best player a few weeks back against Real Madrid, can’t seem to get into the team.

The reason the focus turns to Suarez is that when he struggles, it’s noticeable and it affects the team anytime he gets the ball. Barcelona’s attacks died whenever the ball came at his feet. Barcelona are entering the toughest stretch of their campaign that may very well determine whether their season is a success. In order for them to have a chance at getting past Lyon and beating Real Madrid in the cup and the league, Barcelona need to have an in-form Suarez.