Barcelona manager hails contribution of cold-blooded Suárez to clásico success

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique described Luis Suárez as the man his side were missing after his superb strike secured a 2-1 clásico victory over Real Madrid that helps them take a big step towards the league title.

In the 55th minute, Suárez controlled Dani Alves’s long ball, bringing it down soft-footed, nudging it in front of him with his first touch; with his second, he rolled it one way as Iker Casillas rolled the other.

The ball hit the net while Suarez kissed his wrist, turned and raced towards the corner flag, skidding on his knees and disappearing somewhere beneath his team-mates.

“When that went in, we left,” Madrid defender Pepe admitted. “The second goal killed us psychologically,” Luka Modric said.

There was still over half an hour to go, and the chase was on for a third Barca goal that would level the head-to-head goal difference. Enrique admitted that chase created conflicting emotions, simultaneously seeking control and seeking chances, but Barcelona had just won the match and possibly the title.

Four points behind eight games ago, they're now four points ahead. There are 10 games to go and Barcelona play Valencia, Sevilla and Espanyol in a row, but Real boss Carlo Ancelotti admitted "it's more difficult for us now", even if he did refuse to throw in the towel.

After a difficult start to his Barcelona career, in which it took him 577 minutes to score in the league, this was Suárez' sixth goal in seven games and his 14th this season. In the build-up, he had admitted: "I felt I was not helping the team" and revealed he had not enjoyed the first clásico of the season "as much as I should have done".

World Cup bite

That was his first competitive game in four months after his ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, but he certainly enjoyed this one. Enrique said that even when Suárez was not scoring goals, he had been delighted with the Uruguayan’s performances.

“He is a striker and needs goals but even before I was happy with his attitude, his commitment and his play,” the coach said. “He is not just an old-style striker. He can also combine with his team-mates, he reads the game well, he knows what the team needs at key moments. He doesn’t need many touches to score goals. He also has the physique which is good for us and the character which is useful for a team like us.”

Enrique paused, looking for the right words to describe his team, before adding: “… which is colder. He complements what we already had.”

Asked about Barcelona’s more direct style, the manager responded: “You have to have [different] resources; that’s very important. Our aim is to have the ball, to create chances and to defend a long way from our goal but your opponent plays too and we have to interpret what we need in the game. We scored from a set play as well [as a long pass], and that’s gratifying for all of us.

“This was a very complete, very intense game from both teams,” he added. “It’s a lovely win for us because it’s our eternal rival. It’s important for the league but not decisive. The only pity was not getting that third goal for the [head-to-head] goal difference.”

Changing style

On the night, Madrid’s possession reached 50 per cent at one point last night and finished on 48 per cent, more than in any

clásico

over the last five years. Barcelona had counter-attacked again, their style shifting: the team that was defined by its midfielders is now more readily identified by its forwards. The goals had come via a header from a set-play and a long ball over the top.

Ancelotti was satisfied with the way his team had played but admitted they had lost control. “We lacked a bit of a cool head,” he said. “The league is more complicated now but we have to carry on with this idea. We will not throw in the towel, above all because of the way we played in the first half. We have to try to play that way for 90 minutes. But with a player like Suárez that can happen: the right pass, the right space and a good finish.” Guardian Service