Atletico Madrid’s Attacking Options Against Barcelona in the Absence of Luis Suarez

Just as the wheels of the narrative juggernaut had begun to turn, a positive COVID-19 test put a swift halt to any talk of Luis Suarez exacting some hypothetical revenge when Atletico Madrid host his former employers, Barcelona, at the weekend.

The Uruguayan striker left the Camp Nou in not entirely harmonious circumstances for one of their chief title rivals in a tumultuous summer for the Catalans. After nabbing a brace on his blistering Atletico debut, Suarez has taken his tally to five goals (all from open play) in his opening six La Liga appearances clad in red and white.

Suarez's positive COVID-19 test, while on international duty with Uruguay, has not only robbed Atletico of their star striker, but is depriving the world of what could have been an iconic celebration.

Before contracting the virus, Suarez detailed his planned celebration to ESPN's 90 Minutos had he found his way onto the scoresheet against Barcelona, explaining: “I will not shout ‘goal’ but I will point to those responsible. I spent six years there and felt I had earned respect. I deserved to know my fate before I found out from the press."

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until the reverse fixture - currently pencilled in for May - for Suarez's pointed (in every sense of the word) celebration.

Stripped of his potent forward, Diego Simeone will have to juggle a squad increasingly peppered with injuries and absentees to face his most unfavourable opponents; during Simeone's nine years at the helm of Atleti, the Argentine manager has never beaten Barcelona in La Liga in 17 attempts.

In recent years it has been tantamount to heresy to suggest Atletico Madrid will turn out in anything other than a 4-4-2. However, this season Simeone has implemented some minor tweaks to his tried and tested system, notably playing with a three-man defence for the first time in over a year in Atletico's last outing before the international break.

Yet, while there may be a hint of unpredictability in the formation Simeone will deploy, there is no question that, in Suarez’s absence, the burden of dictating Atletico’s attacking play falls squarely on the narrow shoulders of Joao Felix.

The 20-year-old Portugal international has been in a run of bewitching form this season, racking up a team-high seven goals to go alongside two assists across all competitions. Earlier this month, Simeone suggested this uptick in output could be traced back to the Uruguayan, explaining: "I believe that all this is generated from the presence of Suarez," as quoted by Goal.

"With the likes of [Diego] Costa and [Alvaro] Morata before him, they had a lot of other characteristics, but we have been looking for other qualities. Luis has needed more people close to him, close to where he can hurt the opposition, and that is the team's goal."

If he returns from injury in time, Diego Costa would be the obvious replacement for Suarez. But as Simeone pointed out, he offers 'other characteristics', which might be a polite way of hinting at the Spain international's glaring lack of goals - since returning to the club in January 2018, Costa has averaged less than a goal every five league games.

Alternatively, Simeone could turn to a more fluid front line, deploying Felix alongside another nimble forward often used as a second striker. Against Osasuna earlier this season, with Suarez rested and Costa out injured, the nippy Angel Correa partnered Felix up top in a routine 3-1 win, with the pair combining for the game's second goal.

Marcos Llorente pushed forward from the right side of midfield in that contest and may also prove crucial in the absence of El Pistolero. The night Simeone threw the 25-year-old on against Liverpool in last season's Champions League round of 16 would prove to be a turning point in his career.

Llorente, having spent his entire senior career as a defensive midfielder, scored twice and assisted Atleti's third from an unfamiliar attacking position to knock the holders out of the Champions League last March. Since that night, he's named his dog 'Anfield' and been reborn as a buccaneering winger and second striker.

With four goals to his name already this season - thanks in part to a finishing hot streak - Llorente, alongside Suarez and Felix, is the only other Atletico player to have more than a single strike to their name.

It would be a rather uncharacteristically proactive approach from Simeone to field Felix, Correa and Llorente in a roving, rapid front three, but it would certainly cause concern among Barcelona's not especially mobile defensive pairing of Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet.

Suarez's absence is certainly a blow to fans of Los Rojiblancos (and narrative) but, aged 33 and on the back of a long-term injury, it may not be the worst thing in the world for Simeone to forge a competitive starting XI without the Uruguayan. However, on the eve of the biggest game of the season so far, the timing could have been more favourable.