Luis Suárez

[DonAK]

Interesting thought experiment. So let's say one assumes he would have left us either way(he had gone to Inter for example). It would mean we would have played this season without him, but so would have Atletico. Who would've won the league then?

Not interested in going down that rabbit hole to be honest with you. Too many variables to consider....ifs and buts.

Easy answer would be Real Madrid, but it's never that easy is it?

 

[messi2140]

Since 2014:
Minutes + goals in a CL:

Suarez: 5261 + 25 = 210 minutes
Messi in the same period: 5407 + 53 = 102 minutes
Cr7: 6575 + 67 = 98 minutes
Lewa: 5739 + 56 = 102 minutes
Mbappe: 3448 + 27 = 128 minutes
Neymar: 5127 + 37 = 139 minutes
Benzema: 4894 + 35 = 140 minutes
Griezz = 5152 + 25 = 206 minutes
Dembele = 1848 + 9 = 205 minutes

Messi, CR7 and Lewa are on a GOAT level in a CL with a goal each 100-ish minutes (but they do take pens and free kicks, though).
Neymar, Benzema and Mbappe are at around 130-140 minutes per goal (Neymar with pens and free kicks, right?)
Suarez is on a level with Griezmann and Dembele at around 200 minutes needed for 1 goal. (Suarez mostly without pens and freekicks due to Messi.)

So, in a CL, Suarez was behind world class strikers.
But in league, he was on the 4th best attacker in the world.

Still, we traded him for Griezmann who is on 13-15 league goals per season and on similarly meh numbers in a CL.

So, I agree with you: Suarez was subpar in a CL.
But what was the solution of our board?
= to trade him for Griezz, who is equally as subpar in a CL for years and far worse in league + Braithwaite.
And now we will trade him for Aguero who is near retirement and hasn't played for 1 year.

The only options are:
1. the board/Koeman thought that Griezz will improve a lot once when Suarez is gone
2. Fati will explode. A kid who had 112 minutes in a CL prior to this season.

Betting on Griezmann to improve was insane.
Betting on young Fati is quite hazardous.

I swear it's like I have been watching a different Barca. Blows my mind how "We needed a forward to replace Suarez" is the conclusion you can have with the amount of games we have thrown cause of our backline and GK.

 

[ItachiXXX]

Suarez said hi forum de amigos.

 

[Messigician]

Luis Suarez's last 16 league goals directly earned Atl?tico de Madrid 21 points. 😳

FC Barcelona sold him for only ?5.5 Million... 😱

 

[FatSuarez]

I think it's fine to be pissed with the club for not signing a replacement forward, but selling Suarez specifically wasn't a mistake. He was performing extremely poorly for us, it's total hindsight to say 'look what he did elsewhere' when none of what he's done at Atletico this year was apparent in his game for the last two seasons. He needed a kick up the backside, and Barca selling him provided that. If he stayed here he'd have remained fat and complacent and we'd all still be whinging about how bad he is.

I'm glad he's found the motivation and hunger to turn it around, but not sorry we sold him. Our mistake was not signing someone to replace him. And Aguero is certainly not it.

Suarez scored 21 goals in 36 appearances for Barca last year. He scored 21 goals in 38 appearances for Atletico this year. Why did he win la Liga this year? Because Atletico's defence doesn't suck. His 21 goals directly resulted in 21 points. As far as CL goes, the problem with Barca was that they couldn't keep three goal leads in the second leg. They couldn't keep a clean sheet to save their lives.

 

[JohnN]

I did ask the question last year, as he was leaving:"Messi and Suarez score all our goals, who is gonna score now" and the answer was "we will be better defensively" and I said "Suarez and Messi have nothing to do with our defensive individual blunders". I remember analyzing the Bayern game to prove that against Sergei. And go figure.
1. We were worse attacking wise.
2. We were even worse defensively.

If that doesn't prove that Suarez and Messi together in the same team was not the problem, but the other 9 useless bums shrouding them were, I don't know what does.
Please, collect your Ls directly from Someone.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Suarez scored 21 goals in 36 appearances for Barca last year. He scored 21 goals in 38 appearances for Atletico this year. Why did he win la Liga this year? Because Atletico's defence doesn't suck. His 21 goals directly resulted in 21 points. As far as CL goes, the problem with Barca was that they couldn't keep three goal leads in the second leg. They couldn't keep a clean sheet to save their lives.

Exactly. Barca needs to figure out the defense, it's ****** awful. This team needs to take seriously defending. We've been trash defending for the past two years.

 

[Messigician]

I did ask the question last year, as he was leaving:"Messi and Suarez score all our goals, who is gonna score now" and the answer was "we will be better defensively" and I said "Suarez and Messi have nothing to do with our defensive individual blunders". I remember analyzing the Bayern game to prove that against Sergei. And go figure.
1. We were worse attacking wise.
2. We were even worse defensively.

If that doesn't prove that Suarez and Messi together in the same team was not the problem, but the other 9 useless bums shrouding them were, I don't know what does.
Please, collect your Ls directly from Someone.

So much this

 

[BBZ8800]

I swear it's like I have been watching a different Barca. Blows my mind how "We needed a forward to replace Suarez" is the conclusion you can have with the amount of games we have thrown cause of our backline and GK.

Our last 3 seasons:
2019: 26 wins, 90:36 goals, 87 points
2020: 25 wins, 86:38 goals, 82 points
2021: 24 wins, 85:38 goals, 79 points

So, our defense wasn't much worse than before (only 2 goals conceded more than in EV's winning season 2019).
Attack lacked 5 goals compared to 2019.

Imo, we could write 4 factors where each one of them would bring us a league title:
1. if we would have scored 5-10 goals more = we probably would have won
2. if we would have conceded 3-5 goals less = we probably would have won
3. if we had a better distribution of goals scored and goals conceded (for example: 2:1 and 1:0 wins are better than 3:0 and 0:1 = we would have won)
** we all agree that too many times we couldn't killed the match and kept 1:0 or 2:0 lead, but that is not only defense's fault, but of the whole team. With a goal at 2:0, the match is also done.
4. we sucked in all big matches and we won iirc 1+1 points against RM and AM, right?

Basically, we failed on all 4 points from above.
Rijkaard's Barca had a good attack and okish defense.
Pep has GOAT midfield and attack and ok defense.
EV had good defense.
Lucho had good defense and counters.
This team has nothing.
Attack? Meh
Counters? What are counters, lol?
Midfield? Meh
Defense? Bad
GK? Very bad

So, what to expect in the next season?
Point 1: attack: we will get Depay and Aguero. I won't hold my breath about those two, so probably nothing will change.
Point 2: defense: we won't buy anyone. And even if we do get one CB, he will still play with Mats who is horrible, with 2 fulbbacks who can't defend, with other CBs who are so-so and with Busi as a defensive midfielder who can't run.
Point 3: keeping 1:0 wins. How? We will have the same, but older and more mentally damaged team.
Point 4: big matches. Again, how? I won't hold my breath.

Unrelated to this, my opinion about our team in the last few seasons is:
1) We overperformed and played at 120% of our abilities with EV. He has actually managed to mask how horrible we are. (Quality 120%)
2) After Ernie, with Messi and Suarez = this was a normal Barca. Not good, not terrible. So-so, often not good enough for any titles. (Quality 90%)
3) without Ernie and without players like Suarez, this team is a few levels worse than 2 Barcas from above. (Quality 60%)
4) but, there is more. Regardless of how bad we were this season, we will be even worse when Messi leaves (regardless of my opinion about a current Messi). (Quality 40%)

All of new signings in the last few years are more or less beyond horrible.
Our golden generation is at the end of their careers and they have drained all of our money through wages.
Now we are left without money and no players, paired with a club who is historically impulsive and emotional in decisions.
So, I am expecting mysery, unless we pull some miracle/jack pot like with young Messi-Xavi-Iniesta.
Without that, it will be: "Man Utd level, here we come!"

 

[Messigician]

Our last 3 seasons:
2019: 26 wins, 90:36 goals, 87 points
2020: 25 wins, 86:38 goals, 82 points
2021: 24 wins, 85:38 goals, 79 points

So, our defense wasn't much worse than before (only 2 goals conceded more than in EV's winning season 2019).
Attack lacked 5 goals compared to 2019.

Imo, we could write 4 factors where each one of them would bring us a league title:
1. if we would have scored 5-10 goals more = we probably would have won
2. if we would have conceded 3-5 goals less = we probably would have won
3. if we had a better distribution of goals scored and goals conceded (for example: 2:1 and 1:0 wins are better than 3:0 and 0:1 = we would have won)
** we all agree that too many times we couldn't killed the match and kept 1:0 or 2:0 lead, but that is not only defense's fault, but of the whole team. With a goal at 2:0, the match is also done.
4. we sucked in all big matches and we won iirc 1+1 points against RM and AM, right?

Basically, we failed on all 4 points from above.
Rijkaard's Barca had a good attack and okish defense.
Pep has GOAT midfield and attack and ok defense.
EV had good defense.
Lucho had good defense and counters.
This team has nothing.
Attack? Meh
Counters? What are counters, lol?
Midfield? Meh
Defense? Bad
GK? Very bad

So, what to expect in the next season?
Point 1: attack: we will get Depay and Aguero. I won't hold my breath about those two, so probably nothing will change.
Point 2: defense: we won't buy anyone. And even if we do get one CB, he will still play with Mats who is horrible, with 2 fulbbacks who can't defend, with other CBs who are so-so and with Busi as a defensive midfielder who can't run.
Point 3: keeping 1:0 wins. How? We will have the same, but older and more mentally damaged team.
Point 4: big matches. Again, how? I won't hold my breath.

Unrelated to this, my opinion about our team in the last few seasons is:
1) We overperformed and played at 120% of our abilities with EV. He has actually managed to mask how horrible we are. (Quality 120%)
2) After Ernie, with Messi and Suarez = this was a normal Barca. Not good, not terrible. So-so, often not good enough for any titles. (Quality 90%)
3) without Ernie and without players like Suarez, this team is a few levels worse than 2 Barcas from above. (Quality 60%)
4) but, there is more. Regardless of how bad we were this season, we will be even worse when Messi leaves (regardless of my opinion about a current Messi). (Quality 40%)

All of new signings in the last few years are more or less beyond horrible.
Our golden generation is at the end of their careers and they have drained all of our money through wages.
Now we are left without money and no players, paired with a club who is historically impulsive and emotional in decisions.
So, I am expecting mysery, unless we pull some miracle/jack pot like with young Messi-Xavi-Iniesta.
Without that, it will be: "Man Utd level, here we come!"

You make a very good point that we played at 120% with EV. I remember many on here saying we had the best team in the world and only played horrible defensive football because EV is holding us back. Lol

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

I think the Anfield disaster has destroyed the players and thats why the next coaches didnt reach the players anymore. I mean we were trash in first half of 19/20 too with Valverde ! I think if Setien or Koeman would have came before the Anfield crash they would have been more successfull. This shows that the oldies need to go, their mentality is unrepairable.

 

[Messigician]

I think the Anfield disaster has destroyed the players and thats why the next coaches didnt reach the players anymore. I mean we were trash in first half of 19/20 too with Valverde ! I think if Setien or Koeman would have came before the Anfield crash they would have been more successfull. This shows that the oldies need to go, their mentality is unrepairable.

Trash? Not really Suarez was injured, and we were top of the league and topped group easily

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Trash? Not really Suarez was injured, and we were top of the league and topped group easily

bilbao 0-1

osasuna 2-2

dortmund 0-0

granada 0-2

levante 1-3

prag 0-0

sociedad 2-2

Real 0-0

Espanyol 2-2

Atletico 2-3

Valverde exit. You could clearly see that the team lost the stabilty from the first two seasons of Valverde. The Anfield crash has left his traces.

 

[Messigician]

bilbao 0-1

osasuna 2-2

dortmund 0-0

granada 0-2

levante 1-3

prag 0-0

sociedad 2-2

Real 0-0

Espanyol 2-2

Atletico 2-3

Valverde exit. You could clearly see that the team lost the stabilty from the first two seasons of Valverde. The Anfield crash has left his traces.

That Atletico was some of the best football Barca has ever played lol It's insane we lost it

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

We lost also title in 2014 when we gave Villa to Atletico