Barcelona have been in a bad way (for them) recently. They sandwiched two league losses around a stunning loss to Atletico Madrid that bounced them from the Champions League (after having won the first leg). This was the first time Barcelona had lost three games in a row since 2003. The momentum changed Wednesday, when Luis Suarez apparently decided he had had enough, and took his frustration out on the hapless Deportivo la Coruna, to the tune of four goals and three assists.
Luis Suarez Eviscerates Deportivo La Coruna
Sometimes it seems like the air just gets sucked out of a team. Every player looks deflated. Bad losses can do this, especially three bad losses. For Barcelona every los is a bad loss, and after 39 unbeaten games they may have forgotten how to cope with defeat.
That's why players like Luis Suarez, who are so headstrong and competitive they can turn an entire team around are so important. When Barcelona needed him the most, Suarez turned into a fire-breathing soccer dragon and burned Deportivo la Coruna to the ground.
Atletico Madrid won, and as of this writing Real Madrid are up 1-0 on Villarreal, so Barcelona are nowhere near out of the woods. They remain tied with Atletico Madrid on points (ahead on goal differential) and one point up on Real adrid (assuming Los Blancos hold on to win). They can't slip up unless the other two in the race slip up.
An 8-0 win will go a long way toward soothing Barcelona's nerves. Now they just need to keep doing it.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
