The 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.
Suárez controlled Dani Alves’s long ball and beat Iker Casillas to score what proved to be the winner in the 55th minute, taking Barcelona four points clear and leaving Carlo Ancelotti admitting that the title was “more difficult”, 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’s sixth goal in seven games and his 14th this season. In the buildup 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”.
That was his first competitive game in four months after his ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, but he certainly enjoyed this one, sliding to the corner flag on his knees after scoring. Luis 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,” Luis Enrique 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 …”
Luis 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 Barcelona 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.”
Carlo 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.”