For the first time since biting Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup, Luis Suárez is allowed to participate in a competitive football match. Because the "football gods" have a ridiculous sense of humor, his first game back and his first game for his new club, Barcelona, is the Clásico. Hollywood couldn't write a better script.
Luis Suarez should not start for Barcelona in Saturday’s Clásico
Despite the fact that many would like to see Suárez start in the Clásico on Saturday, it’s not the smart move for Luis Enrique.
David Ramos
We've known for a while that the first meting of the season between Barca and Real Madrid would be the Uruguayan striker's first match back from suspension. Now that the moment is nearly here, the topic of discussion has centered around two questions: Will Suárez play? Might he even start?
The only man who knows the answer to this question is Barca head coach Luis Enrique -- and presumably Suárez if his coach has filled him in on the plan -- and he's not really talking. Enrique's pre-match press conference on Friday began with a question about Suárez and the Blaugrana manager cut everyone off at the knees very quickly with his response:
“Today I cannot play this game. But he will have some minutes for sure, how many I cannot say.”
“It is a big thing for him, to join up finally with the team, and get some minutes.”
There you go. Luis Suárez will likely play, but it sounds like he won’t start. That’s not a surprise though, and it’s the right move by the first-year Barca head coach.
Despite the fact that Suárez has been allowed to train with the first team during his suspension, he’s not match fit. It’s going to take a couple weeks for him to be physically capably of playing 60-90 minutes of football week in, week out. With Barca having a chance to open up a seven-point lead over Real Madrid, why would you risk playing a guy who might not be able to last past halftime?
Enrique’s job is to manage his players and set up his team to win the match. He’s not there to create dream headlines for writers or put a player on the pitch before he’s ready just because the fans have been waiting to see him. Besides, Enrique has two good options on the right wing in Pedro and Munir.
Pedro is the logical choice, if not the most appealing option, to get the start on Saturday. His form has been mostly abysmal this season and he’s a shadow of the player he was in past seasons. That said, he’s experienced, he’s been through the Clásico ringer many times and he understands how to deal with the stress and pressure.
Munir is the better player at this point, he's more dangerous and he's proven he can work well with Lionel Messi and Neymar. That said, Munir is 19 years old and has never played in a Clásico, especially not one in the Bernabéu.
So what should Enrique do? Whatever he damn well pleases is what he will do, with plenty of feedback from his staff and scouts. In the end though, he will do what he feels gives his team the best chance to get a positive result against their rivals.
For my money, it would be a total shock to see anyone other than Pedro starting up front with Messi and Neymar. How well he plays and how the match goes will likely determine when, or if, we see Luis Suárez.
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