5th August 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Playing in Xavi's iconic number six jersey and in his old central midfield position, Denis Suarez certainly put in a performance that would've gained the former Barcelona legend's approval against Celtic, in Barca's 3-1 preseason friendly win.

After being purchased by Villarreal last term, Barca's decision to exercise their option to bring Suarez back for just €3.25 million was an easy one. After all, he's essentially like signing two new players, as he's capable of playing in many positions across both the attacking and midfield bands. Indeed, while his versatility makes him unique, it can also cause issues in relation to where he's most effective.

Although Luis Enrique started Suarez on the right hand side of central midfield against the Scottish champions, where he was brilliant, he then decided to deploy him as a left winger in the second half. This gave an indication that the Barca manager still isn't entirely convinced where he's best suited, but it was nonetheless encouraging to see him experiment.

The fact Suarez possesses such a multifaceted skillset is another reason why Enrique is encountering difficulties in making a definite judgement. It may be that a final decision doesn't come and Enrique uses him where he sees fit depending on the situation and the opposition. Such an approach might be the way to go as Suarez will most likely start from the bench to begin with anyhow.

Upon signing, Suarez appeared unfazed where he plays, stating: "I think I can play on either flank or in either of the advanced positions in a midfield three, where my natural position would be on the left."

Either way, it's not a bad problem to have for Lucho. But to focus on his potential as a central midfielder, the Celtic game exhibited why utilising him here might be the best way to get the best out of him.

To start with, the former Celta Vigo academy star is a sublime passer, meaning he's beautifully suited to a role in the middle. The way he linked play masterfully over long distance and in confined spaces was a joy to watch, in a match where he rarely misplaced a pass. Being able to use his vision to pinpoint teammates from a central location, with a view of the whole attacking half, also provides him with the opportunity to hurt opponents all over, as a pose to limiting his threat in this regard by deploying him out on the wing.

In terms of movement, another area in which he excels, his intelligence allowed him to persistently find space within Celtic's 4-5-1 defensive shape. He particularly exploited the gaps in between James Forrest and Callum McGregor, Celtic's left winger and left sided central midfielder. While his searing pace, combined with his smarts to identify openings, ensured he added another layer of menace courtesy of his expertly timed surges from deep. Suarez would wait until a trigger arrived such as when Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez would drag one of the Celtic defenders out of position and then cunningly make his move.

The way he coalesced with Messi down the right was another huge positive. The two never got in each other's way, as they dovetailed nicely down the right and illustrated an encouraging understanding of one another's movements and tendencies, which would've pleased their manager to no end.

Watching the way Suarez meshed his physical and technical qualities aptly depicted what a uniquely gifted player he undisputedly is. Having a player who can create, not just with his passing, but also his dribbling and movement, is fast, positionally sound and tactically astute will make him a massive, potentially game changing weapon for Barca next season.

Although he's still got some fine tuning left to do before he becomes the finished article, working alongside all of his supremely talented colleagues will mean he'll be learning more and more every day.

For the man who idolises Andres Iniesta, he'll be especially relishing the chance to learn from the diminutive genius. "Since I was young I've focused on Andres. He's an example not just as a player, but also as a person," he mused.

"I've come here to learn how Iniesta plays in a similar, nearly identical position to me, and hopefully in the future I might prove to be as good as he is."

Barca's new number six might not be as good as Xavi and Iniesta yet, but his vast quality might see him get there one day.

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