Luis Suarez Dominating At Barcelona: A Look At the Numbers
Luis Suarez has come a long way.
Almost one year ago, he was defiled as a man with issues. He bit Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup and was due for months of suspension.
And yet Barcelona gambled on him, expecting him to become a part of the team's three-headed monster that could take on any side without any fear.
Suarez struggled to get on the same page as Neymar and Lionel Messi but with the season winding down, few would claim that the expensive investment is not paying off. On Wednesday he played arguably his finest game in a red and blue shirt with two goals against Paris Saint-Germain, both off impressive individual efforts that showcased his strength, power shot and creative flair.
So how good has Suarez been with Barcelona in 2014-15?
Goalscoring stats would contradict any indication of progress. Simply put, he scored a whopping 31 goals and 12 assists for Liverpool in 2013-14. But he accomplished that feat in 2,965 minutes (almost one goal every 90 minutes). This season, he has just 10 goals for Barcelona in 2,292 minutes (0.72 goals per every 90 minutes) and he has 10 assists in that span (0.4 assists per 90 minutes). Last season he was averaging 0.36 assists per minute. This can be accounted to a number of reasons.
First of all, Suarez had a rough start to his career at Barcelona. Before 2014 had come to an end he has played a grand total of 864 minutes and had scored a total of three goals and six assists (0.3125 goals per 90 minutes). Since then he has 15 goals in 1,428 minutes (an average of one goal per 90 minutes, the pace he hit last season). His assists have dropped substantially (0.266 assists per 90 minutes), but the superstar has scored just two goals fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo since the turn of the calendar and seven fewer goals than Messi.
But the picture is not completely perfect for Suarez. Despite his goal scoring stats, there is a reason why his assists are substantially down to start 2015. Across the board, Suarez's major statistics are down. He is taking almost half the amount of shots per game that he was taking at Liverpool (5.5 at Liverpool and only 2.8 for Barcelona). He is dribbling a lot less. But he is also being dispossessed fewer times per game and making poor touches less often. His key passes were at 2.7 per game a year ago, but they are down closer to his career average of 2.2. He is averaging fewer crosses per game and fewer long balls as well.
A lot of this has to do with his no longer being the focal point of his team's attack and instead being a subordinate to Messi. But Suarez has improved as the season has worn on and there is a chance that at the stretch run he might start exhibiting a great deal of more creativity. Barcelona fans had been waiting for Suarez to run out and dominate defenses by running at them all year and he did that twice in stunning fashion against PSG. He has undoubtedly picked up some confidence and that could buoy him to greater heights.
Opposition defenses beware.
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