Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has called for the Anfield crowd to give former Red Luis Suarez a hostile reception on Tuesday night.
The Uruguayan scored the opener in Barcelona’s 3-0 Champions League semi final first leg at the Nou Camp last Wednesday, and proceeded to spend the rest of the game winding left back Andrew Robertson up.
Now, Thompson has had his say: “He made me believe what everybody else thought of Luis Suarez, going over and above [like] that,” he told Sky Sports. “I could understand now maybe what other fans thought of Suarez when he was at Liverpool. I hope the Liverpool fans and players give it to him, wind him up something rotten.
“Some of his attitude he had in the first leg was outrageous. I think he crossed that line. I know a lot of supporters out there were absolutely outraged at what he did.”
OPINION
This is all a bit much from Thompson, isn’t it? Yes, Suarez was a niggly thorn in the Liverpool players’ sides last week, but that’s just the sort of player he is. He’s always been like that, even when he was at Liverpool. No doubt the Reds fans thought his antics were absolutely brilliant when he was wearing a red shirt. Now that he’s done it against them they’re outraged – really? Never mind biting other players and being suspended for racially abusing Patrice Evra, no, he crossed the line when he tried to wind Robertson up at the Nou Camp. Come on, doesn’t that sound slightly absurd? You can’t excuse everything somebody does just because they play for your team and then get wound up when he produces similar antics when he’s playing against you. So Thompson calling for Suarez to receive particularly poor treatment is just ridiculous. He’s a modern Liverpool legend who did phenomenal things at Anfield. If the fans adored him when he was he at the club then they shouldn’t abuse him now.
