For as long as he’s been on soccer’s biggest stages, Luis Suarez has been the center of attention for better or worse. On Sunday, he claimed the spotlight in the biggest match in club soccer, scoring the winning goal in El Clasico as Barcelona earned a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid. The win gave Barca some much needed breathing room in La Liga, and will give the team some much needed momentum heading into the final two months of the season. So how did Suarez manage to shine again when the lights were at their brightest?
The most dangerous thing that Suarez does is put himself in an attacking position all of the time. On a team filled with great distributors such as Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta who can create attacking advantages with their passing alone, that combination managed to break down a Real Madrid defense that is easily one of the world’s best.
More specifically, Suarez is a genius when it comes to timing his runs, frequently putting himself level with opposing defenders right up until the moment the ball is passed forward, at which point he uses his speed to break away for goal scoring opportunities. His goal against Real Madrid was a flawless example of this, where he managed to stay perfectly level with the central defense and struck as soon as the ball was played ahead by Dani Alves. Below is a screenshot of his position as Alves kicked the ball, and it’s unbelievably impressive.
It isn’t possible to be more level with a defender than Suarez is here with Sergio Ramos, as both Ramos and Pepe had no choice but to helplessly look on as Suarez finished the job at the end of the play.
Of course, positioning is nothing without being a quality player when in possession of the ball, and there may not be a better first touch in the sport than that possessed by Suarez. As if he has the ball on a string, Suarez can put himself in a position to score with one touch, making defenses go from secure to in shambles in the blink of an eye. Once again, Suarez was sure to showcase this in El Clasico, using an unbelievable first touch to all but guarantee a go-ahead goal, which he finished in typical Suarez fashion.
When the pass from Alves comes down to Suarez, you can see that he is slightly ahead of Pepe and Ramos, but in between both of them. Once he gets a foot to the ball, though, he directs it to the right of both defenders to open up space for him to swing his right leg into the ball without it being obstructed by a defender. Instead of looking to take the ball down, move straight ahead, and finish awkwardly in tight quarters, Suarez makes an inspired choice with the ball and was rewarded for it with the match winner.
Luis Suarez is understandably one of the most hated athletes in the world for his repeated displays of unsportsmanlike, if not legitimately dangerous, behavior on the field. But his ability to perfectly time his runs and his creative first touch make him among the world’s most dangerous strikers whether you like him or not. And with Barcelona in the driver’s seat in La Liga, and still competing in the Champions League, his Catalan club surely like him just fine.