Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

GOALS DRY UP FOR BARCELONA

CONCERN FOR MISFIRING SUAREZ AS

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The image of a frustrated Lionel Messi with his hands on his hips in Barcelona’s 0-0 Champions League draw in Lyon on Tuesday may reverberat­e the most around the world, but it is Luis Suarez’s form in front of goal that is causing most concern in Catalonia.

Suarez laboured throughout much of the Champions League last 16, first leg in France, although he came as close as anyone to scoring for Barcelona when he fired just wide from a Jordi Alba cutback 20 minutes from time.

Barca’s recent struggles away from home at the business end of the Champions League go on -- it is now six matches without an away win in the knockout rounds, with just one goal scored in that time, since beating Arsenal 2-0 three years ago.

Suarez, meanwhile, has now gone 16 away matches without scoring in the competitio­n since a draw at Roma in the group stage in 2015. That adds up to more than 24 hours in total.

“I’d be worried if he were not creating chances, but he has always had chances, he creates them for his teammates, and he is a constant headache for opponents,” said coach Ernesto Valverde in defence of the 32-year-old.

Suarez has 16 goals in all competitio­ns this season, but only one in his team’s last eight matches.

“Maybe he is saving them for the games to come,” added Valverde.

The performanc­e has added to the worries back in Catalonia, with Barcelona “unable to translate their overwhelmi­ng dominance into a goal”, as the daily Sport put it on Wednesday.

They had 24 attempts at goal, but just five were on target.

“Nobody had the punch, precision, sharpness or clarity to kill the game,” said El Pais, with Barcelona “victims of a negative run, all blinded, including the infallible Messi. It’s a mystery”. - Fatigue -

It is not just their away form in Europe that is an issue -- Valverde’s team have now won just one of their last five matches, drawing the other four.

They have scored just once in their last three outings, and that was a Messi penalty against Valladolid last weekend.

While drawing against a Lyon side deprived of their World Cup-winning captain Nabil Fekir due to suspension could be seen as a missed opportunit­y, the result also needs to be put into context.

Lyon had already taken four points from Manchester City in the group stage and recently beat Paris Saint-germain in Ligue 1. They have not lost in Europe this season.

Barcelona should still finish the job in the return at the Camp Nou on March 13. After all, of their last 29 home matches in the competitio­n, they have won 26 and drawn three, losing none.

Messi - who made his 130th Champions League appearance on Tuesday, equalling Andres Iniesta’s tally of games in the competitio­n -- has not been at his majestic best in the last couple of weeks, but he has scored 30 goals this season.

- Ageing side It would be wrong to question him, but fatigue has to be a worry for the Argentine and his team.

Tuesday’s game was Barca’s 13th in 2019 in all competitio­ns, and this is an ageing side. - AFP

 ??  ?? Barcelona’s Luis Suarez in action with Lyon’s Leo Dubois
Barcelona’s Luis Suarez in action with Lyon’s Leo Dubois

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