Barcelona news: Can Luis Enrique tame Luis Suarez?
By Josh Sanchez
Luis Suarez is currently serving the beginning of a four-month ban that was handed down by FIFA after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. But that didn’t stop Barcelona from completing a huge deal to bring the Uruguayan international star over from Liverpool.
However, now that Suarez has finally received his wish and gotten away from England, it is fare to wonder whether or not soccer’s bad boy can be tamed.
According to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is exactly the man for the job.
Balague went on a lengthy explanation to Sky Sports News where he shared his thoughts on why Enrique can tame Suarez and why the Uruguayan star is exactly what Barcelona needs.
More: Suarez, Chiellini react to biting (Photo Gallery) | Should Suarez be suspended?
"“Luis Enrique can control almost anything. He’s a mixture of Pep Guardiola – in the way that he’s absolutely fundamental in his Barcelona ideas and how he wants to play – but at the same time he’s got the personality of Jose Mourinho – he’s very, very strong minded; he was as a player, he was as a manager as well and he’s convinced he can manage all of these.“It’s quite clear that Luis Enrique came in with the idea that, alongside Neymar and alongside Lionel Messi, he wanted a no. 9.“Then they looked around and they saw that Kun Aguero was not for sale and there was no possibility of negotiations with Manchester City, so they went for someone who was available and who wanted to come.“They’ve got a no.9, perhaps the best no. 9 in the world – I think we all agree last season that he seemed to be. He was voted the best by the players, by the media and everyone in the Premier League.“And they’ve got a man with a problem; that’s what they’re bringing in as well.“But the way Barcelona is looking at it is, ‘Yes, Hristo Stoichkov also had a problem, so did Samuel Eto’o, we will manage him.’ There is a little bit of shock of the idea that they want the players to be pure and an example to everybody when they’re just athletes."
Once the ban is complete and Suarez can begin to make his impact felt on the pitch in La Liga, we will see exactly how much he has changed.
Perhaps the ban from FIFA was the wake up call that Suarez needed and now that he is with a team like Barcelona alongside true professionals like Lionel Messi and Neymar he will finally shake any of his behavioral issues.
For Barcelona’s sake, let’s hope that Enrique can get Suarez back on the right track.