I wrote a week ago about how it was a timely moment to lose Luis Suarez, given how much we’ve relied on him this season.
I believed that it would be the perfect moment for youngsters such as Sturridge, Coutinho and Henderson to show that they were capable of stepping up in his absence but it also gave Brendan Rodgers the opportunity to show that he had it in him to win games without his talisman Suarez.
Well, Saturday nights’ result showed unequivocally that the current set of players don’t need Luis Suarez to utterly destroy opposition. Those three mentioned all chipped in with goals or assists and even Fabio Borini got on to the pitch and on the score-sheet within around 60 seconds.
I’d argue that we caught Newcastle at a bad time but you can only beat the team that’s in front of you and that’s precisely what the players did, quite emphatically. But to say that we don’t need Suarez would be a grave error in judgement, not to mention a little short-sighted.
I read a few comments from Liverpool fans in the past week about how Suarez was too much hassle and that we should just cash in. Surely we could easily bring in a couple of top players for the £40 million we’d get for him, they argued? Yes, that is probably the case.
But you don’t replace a player like Suarez. He is one of those rare players that embodies the spirit of the team; as I said, he is our ‘talisman’, such is his influence on the way the Reds play.
If you look at the top sides in the league, there are very few of these players around. Gerrard is another such player, although his influence has begun to wane with age.
Going a little further afield and you have the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Drogba, Ibrahimovic (when he’s in the right sort of mood) – these are all players that raise their respective teams to another level and mould the other 10 players with their presence alone. Giving them more belief and confidence.
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You can’t buy that with £20 million. Or £40 million. It’s not something you can train, coach or ‘find’; it’s something you come by naturally and yes, it tends to go hand in hand with a great degree of football ability but that only makes them that much more valuable.
Liverpool’s 6 goals yesterday made them the second-highest scorers in the EPL this season, 11 behind United. It also took our season tally in all competitions to well over 90 and shows that in Sturridge and Coutinho, we have two young attack-minded talents that will help us to not notice Luis’s absence quite so keenly.
It doesn’t take away from the fact that we probably would’ve scored 12 had he been in the line-up though. Nor does it detract from the near 50% of our goals that he has either scored or assisted this season. But more importantly, it can never take away from what Suarez gives to Liverpool: the fear factor.
Like a great general, he inspires his troops and instils fear into the enemy and that is something that can’t be measured in goals or valuation.
I completely and totally deplore Luis for what he did last weekend. Not only did he let his team-mates down, and the manager, but he let us down too. I’ll keep my opinions about the length of his ban to myself because, frankly, I’m sick of hearing about it now.
But when the summer comes and the current season has passed, the club should be doing everything possible to keep him and strengthen the team because if the club is serious about challenging at the very highest level then we’re going to need a player like Luis and, short of murdering somebody in cold blood, that means taking the rough with the smooth.
Let’s just hope that he has finally learned his lesson and understands that, if he is to lead us to the top then we need that fire in his belly but he has to ensure that he grasps what it means to be a leading figure at a club like Liverpool.
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Yes. We still need him. Plus another striker when he gets banned for kicking a ref in the nuts next season.
40 million. That’s Borrini, Allen . Asaidi plus an another…. Or 35 million Carrol
It will cost more to replace. And yes, he does raise our team to another level.
I wil luv 2 see suarez in reds line up next season despite his controvases. He such a player dt can change games & mount presure at oposition defence. He’s stil an importnt & influential player.
1. Suarez wasn’t runner up t Bale for POTY by accident.
2. Coutinho & Sturridge can become great players, Henderson has improved from being practically useless last season, buy a major knee jerk reaction after ONE game against a team in a relegation battle is almost laughable.
3. Borini’s 60 second goal followed how many minutes of ZERO goals prior to his injury… please intrigue me
4. Yes LFC could sell Suarez, only the likes of Real, Juventus or Munich need apply… thats the calibre of player we are talking about. How do you replace that?
5. I Do agree that the club must do any and everything to keep Suarez at LFC. Thats obvious and only non-LFC fans or devil’s advocates would argue otherwise 🙂
Any LFC fan that suggest for suarez to be sold,is naturally out off his mind…he is that spark that we ve been lacking in the team for years,,,to sale him is easy,,but replacing him wil take years,,add eriksen and two more great defenders,,keep suarez and see were lfc wil be next season.
Yep Suarez is our talisman and that is the problem. Look at all the great sides we have had , there was not one player but three or four that teams were scared of consistently throughout that period. Look at Manure during their heyday a number of players that could damage you. It is the team that is important not one player the game is about a cohesive unit. Yes one player like a messi could be the focal point but without those that get the ball to him the individual is ordinary case in point last week against bayern.
Suarez is a magical player but the ball moved quicker and more offensively in this game as well as the games last year he was absent. lets see how they go in the derby in that rough and tumble; if again the performance is better then I believe we should cash in.
He is our ONLY world class player now that Stevie is a bit older
Mid table again won’t make him want to stay
Like I mentioned … SUAREZ IS THE BEST PLAYER LFC EVER BOUGHT. LFC STILL NEEDS HIM FOR SEASONS TO COME. TREAT HIM NICE.
Suarez is currently the third best player in world behind Messi and Ronaldo. And the club should do anything in there power to keep him at club.
Suarez is not the only world class player at club, Coutinho is world class and will only get better, Agger is a world class centre back and Reina is world class GK.
The problem is we do not have enough attacking class within squad to put fear in our opponents and we have had a pathetically weak squad for the last five seasons.
And that is why we have been for five seasons competing for a top 6-11 position with Everton, Stoke, Newcastle and Fulham.
We have not competed for the top 4 position since 2008. And until some serious investment is given to Rodgers to invest in the playing staff( £100-£130M) over this summer and Transfer window. Then the clubs with alot better squads already( Both Manchester Clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham) will all be strengthening in summer also.
So a huge overhaul is needed:
This summer Rodgers needs to ship out these 7 players along with the great loyal retiring servant Carragher . 1: GK: B Jones 2: RB: Flanagan
3: CB: Coates 4: CB: Wilson 5: DM: Spearing 6:FD: Borini 7: FD: Pacheco
Those 7 players are simply average and not of Liverpool class and Quality and need to be moved on as soon as possible.
And A Carroll(23) should be recalled to side and given a fair chance to shine at club, he could be our plan B in attack as Plan A does not always work as we have found out this season against the likes of Stoke, West Brom, Reading, Southampton and Everton. Carrolls physical and Aerial threat against the more physical sides in the league would be an asset we could use to our advantage.
Then hopefully our club come to some agreement with Ooredo Qatari communications and then club would get a huge injection of cash brought into club.
Then B Rodgers should bring in 11 players between this summer and the January Transfer window to get club back amongst the elite sides in Europe: To Change Squad DEPTH:
Six Defensive players: To strengthen back line within Squad: Cost : £28-£48M
1: GK: A MCcarthy(23) Of Reading for £2-£6M to compete with Pepe
2: CB: M Richards(25) Of Man City for £8-£15M to compete with Skrtel
3: CB: A Williams (28) Of Swansea for £7-£10M to compete with Agger
4: CB: A Pearce(24) Of reading on free transfer to compete with every centre back.
5: LB: S Umtiti(19) Of Lyon for £5-£8M to compete with Enrique
6: DM: E Capoue(24) Of Toulouse for £6-£9M to compete with Lucas.
Five Attacking players: To Strengthen attack within squad: Cost : £36-£50M
7: RW/ RWF: J Montero(23) Of Monarcas Morelia Of Mexico for £5-£7M to compete with Assaidi and Sterling.
8: LW / LWF: D Capel(25) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal/ Sporting Lisbon for £5-£8M to compete with Downing.
9: CM: J D Guzman(25) Of Villareal for £4-£6M to compete with Allen, Gerrard and Henderson.
10: AM: Isco(20) Of Malaga for £16-£20M to compete with Coutinho, Shelvey and Suso .
11: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR for £6-£9M to compete with Carroll, Sturridge and Suarez. so club can have 4 good class quality strikers at club.
Those 7 players out and 11 players in would change whole dimension of squad and get club back amongst the elite, there would be at least two class quality player competing for every position at club and then every player will be kept on their toes and performing to a high standard all through season.
No ones position would be safe and that is what the Great Liverpools in the 80’s had and were like.
And the Squad would have good class quality competition and depth all over squad:
This is how squad would look with those 7 players shipped out and the 11 players shipped in:
GKS: Mccarthy and Reina RBS: Johnson, Kelly, Wisdom
CBS: Agger, Pearce, Richards, Skrtel and Williams LBS: Enrique and Umtiti
DMS: Capoue and Lucas CMS: Allen, De Guzman, Gerrard and Henderson
AMS: Coutinho, Isco, Shelvey and Suso RWS/ RWFS: Assaidi, Montero and Sterling
LWS / LWFS: Capel and Downing FDS: Carroll, Remy, Sturridge and Suarez.
We all know Luis made a mistake, but now is d time to show support and luv to suarez.