LUIS Suarez has an image problem, and it will probably cost him the accolade of PFA fans Player of the Year.
According to the media there are four front-runners for the title – all attacking players: Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez, Michu and Gareth Bale.
It is a season when the Premier League has been breaking a variety of records for goals scored, and with so many leaky defences it is little surprise that, at the time of writing, these are also the top 4 marksmen in the Premier League, with 19, 18, 15 and 15 goals respectively.
Of these four only, van Persie is in the top 20 of assist-makers (with 7 in the Premier League), whilst Suarez has just 4. Steven Gerrard tops this list alongside Juan Mata and Podolski with 9. Luis’s 4 assists is somewhat surprising given how involved he is in almost any move Liverpool muster, and perhaps doesn’t give him due credit for the creativity that builds play to allow the final pass to be made.
Furthermore, van Persie will take corners and free-kick deliveries into the box, thereby getting direct assists for set-piece goals, while at Liverpool, if it isn’t shooting distance, Stevie G takes control to execute the delivery.
More insightful perhaps is the number of key passes made. Top of this list is Leighton Baines with 89 key passes made (who incidentally also only has 4 assists despite also taking all of Everton’s set-pieces), followed in 2nd by Suarez (78), Bale in 11th (56) and van Persie in 14th (46). Luis has made a massive 70% more key passes than van Persie. Michu doesn’t make the top 20, and given that he is the only one of the four that no one claims to yet be a World Class player, perhaps he is least deserving of the award; although, if value for money were the only criteria, he would be the most deserving.
If you only consider key passes from open play, negating set-piece stats, Suarez is way out in front of the pack at 2.65 key passes from open play per game (on average). The only other to break 2.0 is David Silva on 2.04. Van Persie and Gareth Bale don’t make the top 10.
Given that only one goal separates Suarez and van Persie, and Luis has superior all-round play and creativity (at least that’s what the stats and my eyes tell me) then you’d think he should get the award.
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Ignoring detailed stats, as I know many of you aren’t big fans of over-analysis by numbers, van Persie has scored his goals in a dominant Man United team, that is creating chances a plenty and running amok in the Premier League. Suarez has spent much of the season winning games on his own, playing almost two roles (as a no.9 and no.10 striker rolled in one), and has scored his goals in a far more mediocre team. Van Persie is perhaps more clinical in front of goal, and it will no doubt be in his favour that United will end with silverware this season (the Premier League title is unfortunately a nailed on cert), while Luis will not get the trophies his ability deserves. Both players are exceptional.
For this award the short-list is compiled by the PFA but the award is voted for by fans. Clubs with large fan bases can sway the final decision (Raul Meireles won it in 2011 even though he wasn’t at the level of other winners like Henry or Ronaldo) but you still have to be overwhelmingly liked by the majority. Stevie G won the inaugural award in 2001 and then again in 2009, but in truth it’ll be tough for Luis to win this one. Too many opposition fans detest him. The PFA Players’ Player of the Year seems just as unlikely.
A better bet however is the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year award. Originally given to Sir Stanley Matthews in the 1947-48 season this is perhaps the more prestigious of the two, and the journalists who vote tend to be more objective and less partisan.
I certainly hope Luis wins at least one of these upcoming awards. Controversies aside, he is a stand-out player in the league and in my view, in a small group of players (alongside the likes of Neymar) who are just below the stratospheric heights of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Luis has got to this stage by playing terrific football. Let’s hope, award or no award, he continues to play terrific football at Liverpool FC, as other clubs begin to circle.
You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/
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Win or Lose he is our champion !:) I see alot of Brendan haters commenting recently. Liverpool were not a top 4 team before he took over. So what has Brendan done since hes been here. Given the most talented youngsters a chance to prove themselves (which we all wanted) saw they werent ready , and put them on the backburner.With sterling stalling on a new contract, he played him every game, got him to sign and then sent him back to improve. Also got rid of Caroll and lost patience with downing and henderson almost forcing them to play above their own standard(which is still not good enough, but what we have for this season). Yes Allen doesnt look a great buy but he hasnt hesitated to drop him either. Sturridge and Coutinho look like great additions so the rebuilding is taking steady progress. Also if Suarez stays , it will be because of brendans man management as well as the fans. The football has been a pleasure to watch at times. We have to stop hounding out every new manager that doesnt bring champions league at first attempt !
Rubbish rubbish rubbish. Totally biased nonsensical rubbish . The main reason Suarez would leave is because we DONT have a decent manager capable of getting us champions league
Suarez loves Liverpool and wants to stay .while Rodgers is manager he is wasting his time.
Open your eyes . With the best player in the premier league and an amazingly lucky injury free campaign
Any decent manager would gave done a lot better
I agree
I agree champions league was out of our reach from the beginning and finishing in the top six is much more realistic, anything below is failure. But this is Liverpool, and we have enough talent to compete at the top level and for silverware and our standards are always high. To me we are at times playing great football and beating teams when we should and then let ourselves down with a pathetic loss, this isn’t good enough.
I am willing to give Brendan another season providing where we finish at the end of this one. His signings have been poor but the winter signings look promising. At times he says way too much when not needed eg blaming players for oldham loss when I think it was his fault completely.
As for Saurez, he will stay for one more season and if we don’t make champions league at the end of next season he will leave. As for the PFA award, I can’t see him winning purely because he has tainted his image as a player for racism and diving which is sad because he is not doubt the best player in the PL and I’m not being biased. He is already a legend here and I hope stays until he retires. Come on you Reds. YNWA
Yeah, it will be difficult for him to win player of the year.
I’ve been dissapointed with Rodgers this season. He’s done some good things (eg with young players, scoring more goals – though the latter is mainly due to the genius of Luis) but he’s made way too many mistakes in team selections, tactics and signings. I’ve said before the best time to Judge him is at the of the season. However I do believe with a top experienced manager we’d have been challenging top 4. He’s had Suarez, Gerrard and Agger fit all season, with Lucas available for most of it too. Kenny didn’t have that. All his summer signings added nothing at all, despite his ridiculous bigging them up as fantastic players. Let’s see where we finish.
what exactly has he done with young players ???
Yes – brought Wisdom through – good move , but with Wisdoms physic he was ready anyway
Suso – yes , gave him chances , but then i thought he made him a scapegoat and dumped him . Being subbed at half time nearly every week when the whole team was poor would have been damaging to his confidence
Sterling – overused , too much pressure and responsibility put on him , and he is suffering now for it . I think Dalglishs handling would have been better
… and thats it , other potential stars have been neglected . Definitly with us having only 1 striker , Morgan and Ngoo should have had chances .
and the likes of Flanagan ,Robinson ,Adorjan ,Pacheco and Coady have been ignored . Especially Coady – he would offer loads more than Allen .
So how has Rodgers done well with the kids ? He used a few cause he left squad short , and he dumped them all out of the team when he had other options
I agree to that mate. I was all for giving Kenny another year he deserved it and was very unlucky. If we finish outside the top six I consider it a failure I’m not willing to give Rodgers another go.
At what point would you say is the cut off point for Rodgers there TaintlessRed?
http://live4liverpool.com/2013/03/view-from-the-kop/why-player-of-the-year-suarez-will-lose-out
Lets be honest here…. There is more chance of Joe Allen winning player of the year , than of them giving it to public enemy no1
I submitted the article prior to the Wigan game. If Luis outscores Van Persie and continues at his present scoring rate, I think he may win the pfa writer’s player of the year. He certainly deserves to.
Deserves to – totally …but firstly it’s Suarez who is not liked ,just remember what Ashley ‘idiot’ Williams said about him.
Secondly and rather stupidly – they vote for these things in February . All votes are in , Suarez could score a million more and it wouldn’t matter
Fair point. The PFA ones (fans player & players’ player of the year are voted for early) but the Writers player of the year isn’t associated with these, has a much longer more prestigious history, and I think is voted for later on.
Why Suarez will lose out http://live4liverpool.com/2013/03/view-from-the-kop/why-player-of-the-year-suarez-will-lose-out #LFC