Barcelona Transfer News & Rumors - Analysis: Will Luis Suarez Arrival Force Lionel Messi to Change His Playing Style?
The arrival of Luis Suarez at Barcelona could undoubtedly spell trouble for the club. Barcelona's motto has always been "Mes que un club" (more than a club), but the addition of yet another major star has endangered the mentality of "team first." Suarez in particular is a man known for his off-the-field antics as well as he is for the feats he performs on the pitch.
But the greatest issue he causes is for Lionel Messi, the star of the show and the man that could see a major change in his play.
For years, Messi has been the goal-scoring machine that Barcelona has relied upon. From 2009 through 2013, the Argentinian scored 47 or more goals for Barcelona per season with his greatest season (2011-12) seeing him put a whopping 73 goals into the back of the net. Those numbers have declined in the past two years, but few would consider Messi's 60- and 41-goal seasons failures.
But Suarez is also a scoring machine, and while he does assist, he was brought in to lead Barcelona's line. Furthermore, the team has another huge scoring threat in Neymar hanging out up as well and he will probably be told to think of attacking the net with greater directness than he did in 2013-14.
So where does this leave Messi? While Messi is certainly a tremendous scoring, he will probably have to see his totals come down if Barcelona is to succeed. And while some might see this as a problem, it might actually be a huge benefit to Messi's game. Anyone that has watched the superstar with regularity knows that he thrives with the ball on his feet. Usually it goes into the back of the net, but more often than not, he is creating space and opportunities for his teammates.
According to WhoScored, Messi led all Barcelona players with an average of 2.4 key passes per game; Cesc Fabregas, Neymar and Xavi all averaged 1.6 key passes per game. What makes this statistic all the more wondrous is the fact that Messi was averaging less passes per game than 11 other players on the team. While Xavi was leading the side with 86.2 passes per game, Messi was only average 45.3. Throw in the fact that Messi was second on the team in assists with 11 (he is actually the leading assist-getter in La Liga over the last six seasons) and it becomes clear that the superstar is just as much a force in creating the play.
And this is how Messi could excel. During the World Cup he scored timely goals in the opening round before fading a bit in the latter stages. But while Messi was not lighting up the scoreboard, he was retrieving the ball deeper in the midfield and making it count. According to WhoScored.com, Messi was averaging 1.6 tackles per game in the World Cup (he averaged 0.5 in La Liga); the sample size for the tournament is far smaller, but it does indicate that the superstar was carrying a heavier load for his country during the tournament. He might have to take on a similar one for his club.
Xavi is on the way out and Fabregas is in England. There is no natural heir to take over the central midfield position. Andres Iniesta was the man that opened up space for Xavi and the two always worked in tandem. Messi could fill in the Xavi role but transform it under new coach Luis Enrique. The new manager has been tasked with changing up the play and giving the team a more direct and effective approach.
With Messi manning the midfield alongside Iniesta, the team would have a more direct approach and the superstar would see a lot more of the ball. This would open up space for Suarez and Neymar to make runs in behind the defense and put them in pole position to score. Or inversely, Messi being deeper in the midfield would allow him to pull defenders out of position and allow Iniesta to take over and unleash him behind opposing defenders.
It might mean that Messi will not have another 50 goal season. But it might also mean a more dangerous Barcelona and more effectiveness from a player that has struggled to maintain his stamina at its peak over the last few years.