Throughout the last three years and more during the time spent in England as a Liverpool player, Luis Suarez has been the subject of much controversy and has appeared to cause himself more trouble than what was completely necessary and after the Uruguayan seemed to bite Juventus’ Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in a physical ‘off-the-ball’ altercation in their decisive World Cup clash against Cesare Prandelli’s side on Friday, there are concerns on Merseyside that he can be defended no longer and as much as it pains to say, his time at Anfield may be drawing to an end. Me, myself, personally, would like to discuss and overview whether Liverpool Football Club could cope without our star talisman and whether the time is right to move him on. I don’t like saying it, but I feel like we need to strongly consider it.
This is the third time that Luis Suarez has bitten an opponent on a football field; a quite astonishing record. After recent clashes with PSV’s Otmar Bakkal whilst at Ajax and with Bransilav Ivanovic of Chelsea last season in the 2-2 draw at Anfield and furthermore including the incident with Patrice Evra and the seemingly constant allegations of ‘diving’ and ‘cheating’, it seems unbelievable that Luis Suarez has survived the time that he has, although it has to be said that his quality and talent is often unrivalled and these past 12 months have arguably been the best of his career, making him one of the best and most valuable players in the world right now.
The little magician scored 31 goals in 33 games for Liverpool in the Barclays Premier League last season, making 12 assists, winning the PFA Player of the Year, helping the Reds to finish 2nd and also to secure the return of UEFA Champions League football to Anfield.
Through all this controversy and dispute, it has to be mentioned that Liverpool Football Club, an iconic and historic brand, have been dragged through the mud a bit and surely the reputation has to have been slightly damaged. Luis Suarez has had the best treatment he could have hoped for, a fantastic man-to-man manager in Brendan Rodgers, quality coaches and staff, talented team mates and one of the best sets of football supporters on the planet. After this recent incident on Tuesday, it just adds to the ever-growing list of things that are hampering his career, a career that really could see him become one of the all-time greats in World Football. The boy is special and the price tag now has to be in the £50m-£80m mark for me, and that’s putting it realistically. I just question whether one of the best football clubs in the world should have their reputation hindered any further, no matter have talented Suarez is and no matter how crucial he is to next season’s Premier League title challenge and Champions League success.
Looking at the situation from a more footballing and tactical perspective, I just can’t help but think that Liverpool are on the right road to becoming great again and the loss of Suarez at this particular moment in time wouldn’t be such a huge disappointment as it would have been last summer. Daniel Sturridge has become the top striker in England with a phenomenal 18 months and his footballing career has been transformed for the better. Raheem Sterling is so impressive; Jordan Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho are extremely talented. And with Steven Gerrard as the skipper, there are quality players all over the place. With the recruits of Rickie Lambert and Emre Can and the club looking at attacking and creative prospects with flair and versatility such as Southampton’s Adam Lallana, Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri and Chile and Barcelona wonderkid Alexis Sanchez as well as the possibility of a new CB and a new LB such as Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Ricardo Rodriguez or Alberto Moreno, it is clear Brendan is keen on building a squad full of experienced, top quality, world class players capable of success. His philosophy is clear: attack is the best form of defence, with pace and fluid link up play between the front three, with interchanging and fast movement at a constant throughout the 90 minutes. Sanchez is reported to be nearing talks with the Merseyside outfit which would be quite an unbelievable signing. And with the funds to be made should Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich come in for our Uruguayan magician, £70m roughly for 2-3 world class players, with the right scouting and decision making, could really push us on in the same way Luis Suarez would have. There are tons of talents out there that would fit into Brendan Rodgers system, and it has to be considered.
