After having parted ways with the decorated midfielder Xavi at the end of the 2014-15 season, the question on every Barcelona fan’s mind is how and with whom will we replace the magician that goes by the name of Andres Iniesta? The creative lynchpin has been with the club since the age of 12 and has etched his name in the glorious memoirs of the club putting in impressive performances season after season for the club. However, at 32 years of age, he is not getting younger and it would prove to be a wise move by the Catalan club if they identified and nurtured the right player to replace him, come the end of his illustrious career.
While it remains to be seen if he can truly emulate the performances of Iniesta in the years to come, Denis Suarez is being touted as the ideal replacement for the Spanish superstar. Having returned to Barcelona after a one-year spell at Villareal, where he helped his side reach the Europa League semi-finals and finish 4th in the La Liga ahead of teams such as Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla, and Valencia, he is making the headlines at Barcelona for his performances so far.
The emergence of Suarez
Suarez began his footballing journey at Celta De Vigo joining them at a tender age of 15, before breaking into the Celta B team. His performances in various age divisions turned a number of heads across Europe with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United lining up a move for the player. However, it was Manchester City who stole the player from under their rivals’ noses as they signed him for a fee that could have risen to £2.75 million. Though he did not feature even once for the club, his continued improvement as a footballer was documented by the mighty clubs across Europe and when Barcelona came calling with an offer believed to be in the region of €1.5 million.
After arriving at the Catalan giants in 2013, the player was largely restricted to youth level games and was loaned out to Sevilla in July 2014 in search of football, a move that helped him find some playing time. The move paid rich dividends as he featured 31 times for the club during the season. While he might not have been the best player on the pitch for large durations of the season, he gained the all-important experience of playing in the Spanish top flight and showcased why he is rated so high in bits and pieces.
In what was termed as a surprising move, he was shipped to Villareal at the beginning of the 2015-16 season with Barcelona smartly inserting a buy-back clause to ensure they have their man back for a cut-price, should he have a successful spell and Suarez did not disappoint at El Madrigal. He was his side’s creator in chief in the La Liga as well as the Europa League and added the much-needed combativeness to the side’s midfield with his tackles, interceptions, and blocks.
Beginning of a new life at Barcelona
At 22 years of age, Suarez is already showing signs of why he can be the heir apparent to the majestic throne currently occupied by Andres Iniesta. He is fluid in his movement, possesses a tidy set of feet and can make defence-splitting passes, a skill that Iniesta possesses in abundance. A calm player for his age, he has also shown an ability to keep his head during crunch situations and his decision making is impeccable. He is a smooth dribbler and possesses an excellent close control and has shown a penchant for creating space for himself as well as his teammates.
With Iniesta sustaining an injury in Barca’s Super Copa win against Sevilla in the first leg, Suarez has been tasked with a key member of a star-studded midfield and the player impressed one and all with his performance during the three games he has featured in for Barcelona so far.
There are certain aspects of his game that need to be fine-tuned
For a player who plays his football largely in the final third of the pitch, Suarez’ finishing is not his greatest attributes. He can be hesitant in taking his chances when presented with an opportunity and should he find the back of the net on more occasions, he could become a complete package for his side.
However, with the kind of firepower Barcelona possess up front in the form of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, his shortcomings will not prove too detrimental to his side’s fortunes and Suarez can go about developing the same over the course of the time rather than acquiring the skill on a short notice.
While club captain Andres Iniesta is expected to start every match when he is fit, it would be deemed prudent of Luis Enrique to offer Suarez with playing time every time opportunity presents itself in order to ensure that his growth is not hampered. If his performances so far (including the pre-season) are any indication of his abilities, in the long run, Suarez is more than ready to replace the legendary Iniesta in order to ensure the continued dominance of the side in Spain as well as Europe.
