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Lionel Messi

LONDON. — Luis Enrique joked when he took charge of Barcelona that the psychologist he intended to make a part of his backroom staff was just for him.
With Liverpool’s Luis Suarez now on his way to Camp Nou, that may no longer be the case.
Still, the new Blaugrana boss will need all the emotional support he can get this season, because trying to keep the Uruguayan, Lionel Messi and Neymar happy could drive a lesser man insane.

On paper, of course, Enrique will soon be in possession of arguably the greatest all-South American front three the game has seen since Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002.

However, as we are so often told, games are not won on paper. Argentina’s goalscoring problems at this summer’s tournament prove as much.

The Albiceleste reached the final but they have managed just eight goals in six games — despite being in a position to field a front line containing Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero/Ezequiel Lavezzi. Messi has accounted for half of his country’s World Cup tally in Brazil but even he has not netted since the group stage.

Where best to position the four-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a topic of much debate for the Argentines, as has the most suitable system. Messi made his preference for a 4-3-3 perfectly clear after the group-stage win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and, from a tactical perspective, things should run quite smoothly in Catalunya.

Enrique is a Barcelona man through and through. Ergo, he is a firm advocate of the 4-3-3 formation with which the club has become synonymous. A three-man front line is, therefore, precisely what Enrique always intended to field — with or without Suarez.

Furthermore, all three superstar forwards seem ideally suited to the system. Neymar, like Ronaldinho, is most comfortable on the left side of the attack, as it allows him to cut infield onto his right foot to devastating effect. Messi is no out-and-out center forward but the ‘false nine’ position was effectively created for him by Pep Guardiola, a tactic which allows the Argentine to simultaneously roam free and be the focal point of the attack.

Suarez, meanwhile, is a versatile footballer, capable of leading the line, as he has done so effectively at Liverpool over the past two seasons, but also creating goals for others, often by drifting wide to exploit the space in the channels. It is that latter quality that should enable him to flourish at Camp Nou.

Suarez is also willing to work for the team, as evidenced by the way in which he readily agreed to occasionally play out wide to accommodate Daniel Sturridge through the middle at Liverpool last season. However, Brendan Rodgers’ side was always based around getting the best out of Suarez. He was the star man. He will not be afforded that status at Camp Nou.

While the early indications are that Enrique wants his front three to regularly change positions in a bid to keep opposition defenses in a constant state of confusion, Suarez will need to accept that he is no longer the focus of the attack. That can be a difficult thing for some players to accept.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic never came to terms with being asked to “play for Messi” during his time in Catalunya. Now, the Swede, it could be argued, was always going to struggle with a request to play for anyone but himself but the striker’s solitary season is worth referencing.

He, too, was a stellar summer signing expected to add a new dimension to Barcelona’s attacking play. Just like Suarez. And just like Neymar.

The Brazilian should not be forgotten in all of this. — Goal.com