Denis Suarez has played just 91 minutes of football out of a possible 900 since joining Arsenal on loan from Barcelona. The most time he’s played in one match was 25 minutes on his debut against Manchester City and there have been four times where he hasn’t come off the bench at all.
Having not started a single match, many tongues in the English media began wagging. The suggestion from some was that Suarez wasn’t impressing manager Unai Emery in training, which was the supposed reason behind his lack of time on the pitch.
However, the Spaniard recently hit back at those suggestions on his Instagram story, saying: “Don’t talk about my workouts if you have no idea”. This isn’t the first time he’s publicly condemned talk of his shortcomings. When rumours arose that Arsenal wanted to send him back to Barcelona, he responded, again through his Instagram story: “Let them keep talking” with a shushing emoji.
That he has been so vocal and ready to fight for his place in the Arsenal team should be an encouraging sign for the Gunners faithful. With eight matches coming up in April, Emery will need to rotate his squad to keep them fresh if he is to battle on all fronts. This means that Suarez is likely to be needed. Having him fired up should help him to give his best when he is called upon.
This is already a man with a point to prove. He had impressed while at Barcelona and was supposedly a player who would represent the Catalonian giants for years to come. However, he was unable to get into the team and was sold to Villareal with a buy back clause. Having impressed in yellow, Barcelona activated that clause. He was unable to force his way into the team though, which brought along his loan to Arsenal.
With Suarez now 25-years-old he will need to prove himself in the next few years if he is to make it at the top level. This puts the importance of his loan move to Arsenal into context; if he is able to succeed in North London then this could be the springboard for him to reach the levels expected of him during the early stages of his career.
If he is unable to get into the team, this will surely be seen as a signal of his career stalling. Of course, even if his time in red and white doesn’t turn out to be a success there will be time for him to get back on track. However, having been so close to reaching the top he won’t want to take another step back.
His first chance to claim a place in the Gunners’ starting line up will come on Tuesday in a friendly against Al Nasr. Following that, Arsenal’s first competitive game back following the international break will come against Newcastle United on Monday 1st April. Having ensured his voice would be heard off the pitch, Suarez will be hoping he’ll get the chance to make his mark on it.
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