Can Suarez help Barcelona win the Champions League?

Can Luis Suarez lead Barca to CL glory?

Luis Suarez was a superstar at Anfield but is he the man to take Barcelona all the way in the Champions League this season?

Barcelona haven't won the Champions League since 2010/11, when Lionel Messi inspired them to victory over Manchester United at Wembley.

This summer they spent 75million to bring Luis Suarez to the Nou Camp, so could he be the missing ingredient that can bring fresh Champions League success?

The signing of Suarez was a controversial one at the time as it came just after he was banned from all football-related activities for four months for biting Giorgio Chiellini at this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

It was a disappointing end to a campaign which had seen him score 31 Premier League goals for Liverpool, but Barcelona overlooked the controversy which can come with Suarez to take him to Spain.

He finally made his competitive Barcelona debut in the El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid at the back end of October.

Suarez lined up for that game in a mouth-watering three-pronged attack alongside Messi and Neymar. However, the end of his ban was bittersweet for Suarez as have Barcelona suffered back-to-back La Liga defeats in his first two appearances. The Uruguayan has made an impact during his first three games in the first team, albeit as a provider rather than goalscorer so far.

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Barcelona are blessed with three of the best attackers in the world, in the shape of Messi, Neymar and Suarez. This means they are more than capable of getting goals against the best sides in Europe.

However, things are not completely rosy in Catalonia and Luis Enrique's side are showing cracks in their faade.

Their opponents are getting too many chances in games and are finding far too much space. As good as Barcelona are going forward, that is leaving them susceptible at the back.

That has already been exploited in La Liga, but it was most evident in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. When they face some of the powerhouses of Europe in the latter stages of the continent's premier club competition then those errors will be exposed, unless Enrique works to eradicate them sooner rather than later.

Of course it is by no means certain that just because Barca have three world-class strikers, that all three can succeed together. There is still an element of risk which comes from playing all three superstars as the team could lose something defensively as a result. And it doesn't help the cause that Suarez missed the first two months of the campaign - two months in which Barcelona were unbeaten in La Liga.

After such an opening to the season it seems like Barca are now learning how to play with Suarez in the team. This is the kind of developmental work that should be done during pre-season but, due to the ban, it means Barcelona are learning on-the-job, possibly resulting in that shock loss at home to Celta Vigo which followed the defeat to Real Madrid on Suarez's debut.

There is no doubt Suarez will find his scoring boots for Barcelona, but will he himself cope with not being the top dog?

He had top billing at Liverpool, but is going to play at least second-fiddle to Messi and maybe even third-in-line when you throw Neymar into the equation. If he reacts well to a change in status and position then Suarez will have a positive influence. And if that front three clicks into top gear, then defences across Europe need to be afraid.

Suarez can help Barcelona win the Champions League, but it is far more likely to be in the coming years rather than at the end of this campaign - as Enrique's team looks a side in transition.