Luis Suarez vs. James Rodriguez: Which Summer 2014 Transfer Was Better Buy for Real Madrid & Barcelona?

Barcelona soccer star Luis Suarez has been
involved in many controversies since his Liverpool
FC playing days when he was a member of the
English Premier League such as biting at the
2014 FIFA World Cup. Suarez recently joined
Lionel Messi and Neymar to play soccer at
Barcelona in Spain. he says the English media
was one of the factors to leaving Liverpool.
(Photo : Getty)
In the summer of 2014 Real Madrid and
Barcelona did battle over two major players. This
publication has already visited the pros and cons
of Neymar and Gareth Bale for their respective
squads.
But making major purchases in 2014 did not stop
either side from continuing its arms race a year
later. Barcelona answered the bell by purchasing
the enigmatic Luis Suarez from Liverpool while
Real Madrid pounced on James Rodriguez after
his World Cup rise to stardom.
Both players obviously came with questions. For
Suarez the inquiries revolved around his ability to
turn into a supporting player after being the star
man in England. Everyone had seen Neymar
struggle to adapt to Lionel Messi in 2013-14, and
there were questions about whether a person like
Suarez, who had questionable character, would
be able to not only subjugate his style to fit one
but two stars.
For Rodriguez the questions ran deeper. Was he
even necessary to Real Madrid? Under the 4-3-3
structure that had led Real Madrid to the
Champions League title in 2014 there was no
room for a 10 behind the forward line. Rodriguez
was at his best when playing behind the forwards
in that "hole," and some wondered whether he
would be able to adapt to playing in another role
or whether his arrival and accommodation would
upset the balance attained last season.
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For Suarez things got off to a rocky start. He
clearly upset the balance of the team, unable to
play as a winger, thus limiting Messi and Neymar
and creating an ineffective front line.
However, Messi opted for moving to the right,
thus allowing Suarez his natural position in the
middle and the team flourished. Flourished to the
tune of 24 goals and 17 assists in all
competitions, 21 of those goals and 11 of those
assists have come in 2015 alone; for some
perspective Ronaldo has 26 goals and 10 assists
in 2015.
Alongside him, Neymar and Messi have also
reached unprecedented heights, making the
investment work exactly as originally intended.
For Rodriguez the road has been a bit more
complex. He did not originally work on the team,
sliding from the middle of the pitch to the wing,
often becoming invisible. The team eventually
found its stride and Rodriguez became more and
more comfortable rotating in the midfield. He was
pressing harder and playing more efficient
defensively. He was also creating and scoring
goals at a terrific rate.
It was working wonderfully until he got sidelined
with an injury and his absence was sorely missed
on the side. His return a few weeks back
reignited the offense, but at that point it was too
little too late.
His statistics are certainly nothing to overlook. He
was the second best key passer in the entire
Spanish League, he is fourth in Spain in assists
with 12 and he is also 13 in Spain in goals scored
with 12. Overall he has scored 16 goals and 14
assists for Real Madrid in 37 matches while being
the team's premier playmaker. Most importantly,
he is only 23 years old and should have room for
further improvement.
At the moment the decision is quite easy. Suarez
will win a trophy with Barcelona and maybe two
more in 2014-15. But at 27, he might not have
much more to offer in coming seasons and his
decline could be rapid and painful.
Rodriguez was a bright spot in a frustrating
season for Madrid, but even then the team will
have a lot to look forward to.
It will be interesting to see how this narrative
develops in coming years. In 2013-14, Bale was
clearly the better buy over Neymar, but the roles
have been reversed tremendously and Bale might
not even be a member of Madrid when the
season kicks off again in August. This set of
summer purchases might not follow the same
narrative, but the age differences could work in
the same way.