Luis Suarez has vowed to step up for Barcelona in Lionel Messi's absence
Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has vowed fill in the gap left by his injured teammate Lionel Messi as he feels it is his responsibility to lead the club’s attacking force, according to ESPN. The Argentine talisman is reported to be out for at least the next four weeks.
Since Messi suffered a knee injury which he picked up against Las Palmas, the Catalan side have struggled and this was evident when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Sevilla before the international break. Even the national team have shown their over-reliance on the four-time Ballon d’Or winner in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay this week.
Former Liverpool player has stepped up in the recent games against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Las Palmas. Suarez has insisted that he and his teammates have upped their game during Messi’s absence.
"With Leo everything is much easier, but without him I must try and make things easy too," he said in an interview.
"Each one must take responsibility for their work, and do it as well as possible. Nobody is going to replace him, as he is irreplaceable."
We are not in the same form like last year: Suarez
It has gone according to plan for Barca this season as they have scored just 15 times in their first nine fixtures across the domestic and European leagues. The 28-year-old, has scored five goals in eight appearances for the Blaugrana side this term and has admitted that as a whole his side is struggling to emulate last season’s fine form.
"We do not have the same attacking punch as last year," he said.
"But well, then we also won games and you were left with the sensation that we were around. The second part of the season was when we were spectacular."
Suarez requests the home fans to support them in these difficult times
For their recent performances, the players have been jeered by the fans especially during their Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen when they were 1-0 down.
"There is not much sense in whistling the team," he said.
"You don't like them getting angry, in no sense. It was all marvellous when the treble was won, when the European Super Cup was won, and now, after losing two or three games, the team is judged for some things, which I believe makes no sense."
Barca host Rayo Vallecano on Saturday but the Uruguay international is a doubt for the fixture. He has not trained with his teammates during this week’s first two group sessions.