Luis Suarez has conceded La Liga to Real Madrid, admitting that it will be “almost impossible” for Barcelona to catch their fiercest rivals.
Real Madrid currently sit four points ahead of Barcelona with two games remaining in the season, with Zinedine Zidane’s side facing fifth-placed Villarreal and 18th-placed Leganes to close the campaign.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are set to close their season against Osasuna and Alaves, who sit in 11th and 17th, respectively.The Catalan side’s title hopes all but evaporated during an 11-day span in June, with Barca sputtering to draws with Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid.
Those opened the door for Real Madrid to surge into the lead, and Suarez says it was those results that all but ended Barca’s title hopes.
“If you have to be honest, the league is almost impossible,” Suarez told Sport. “It is clear that the game against Sevilla is a game that makes things very difficult for you. We had options to get ahead. That day was important but in Vigo it was key. We lost our great opportunity.
“If we had beaten Celta, we would have been better off against Atletico. The blow was in Vigo, the goal in the last minute from Aspas. It hurt. Now we have to finish well and go for the Champions League.”
Suarez added that Barcelona must take the blame for their failings, as the club will miss out on the Liga title for only the third time in eight years.
“In La Liga, you have to be self-critical: we let it escape ourselves,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “We are aware that we depended on ourselves and not look for any excuse.
“Now, for our pride and for the prestige of Barca, we have to win the two remaining games and then focus squarely on the only title we can fight for, which is the Champions League.
“If those of us on the team can perform at the level of why we are in this club, we can beat anyone. A failure in a match can be expensive. That is why we have to be very vigilant and we need everyone to be able to get the Champions League.”
Reports have continued that Barca are pushing to sign a forward that will replace Suarez, with the club heavily linked with Lautaro Martinez.
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently stated that any push to sign the Argentinian is on hold until season’s end, but, should that deal go through, Suarez would welcome the Inter star with open arms.
“He is a great player. He has been playing at a very high level at Inter,” Suarez said. “It is not easy to get to Italy from Argentina and demonstrate everything he has done in a complicated football league like Serie A. He is young and if he comes to Barca, we will trying to help him adapt and to help him feel comfortable.”