Without doubt , Liverpool’s best player in the league, one of the best in the world, Luis Suarez has been fantastic for the reds last season as far as football is concerned having scored 30 goals in all competitions. Contrary to that, he has been part of controversy again.
The mix package of hero and villain is inevitable in Suarez’s case and Liverpool fans love/loved the fact that they have him in the side. However, lately the fans who backed him to the fullest have started calling him an “embarrassment”. That sudden U-turn from frustrated LFC fans is baffling.
Suarez have been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield as Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing the Uruguayan international.
Despite his controversies, Liverpool love the fact that on the field of play Suarez gives his 100%, he is a fighter who is always determined to win and is pivotal to the Reds top 4 chances next season. However, since he has talked about his desire to leave, the opinions have changed and a major chunk of fans have started calling him an embarrassment to the club for reasons well known.
Former Red, Hamman has also claimed that Suarez dragged club’s reputation through mud but he along with other fans are wrong to blame Suarez and Suarez alone in this scenario. Instead the blame of embarrassment should be given to “Performances”.
Not so long ago, Liverpool were fighting for top prizes, but since the past 4 years, they lose to weaker teams and have not even qualified for the Champions League. A time was there that fact of not finishing in top 4 hurt really bad but the problem is that has become a habit and Liverpool fans do not take it as an embarrassment do they?
If Sturrdige and Coutinho would have signed for Reds back in August, may be things might have been different. But let’s just take into consideration what happened. Carroll out loaned, Borini out injured. Suarez was the only one up front and his goals and assists saved Liverpool from embarrassment. How?
Half way through the season with 19 league games played, Liverpool were in 10th place. Out of 28 goals, Suarez scored 14 for the reds and provided numerous assists. Take them out and, reds would have been in relegation zone, surely an embarrassment. Fair to say that before the arrival of Coutinho and Sturridge, Liverpool were a one man team, all about Luis Suarez.
It is not that Suarez is the only controversial figure we have seen. Over the years, many clubs have had such players but the club’s Brand was never drastically affected.
Take example Manchester United, Cantona’s Kung fu kick, Ferdinand’s drug test failure, no doubt embarrassing facts but did that hurt the brand Manchester United? No, do the fans hate them for that? No but Why?
- Because the brand/club is too big and historic to be dragged through mud by the acts of one or two players
- Because the fans care about success and United have been exactly that over the years
Same is the scenario with Liverpool being one of the most historic clubs in the world and one bad boy Suarez cannot ruin their reputation of a hundred years. Whether he leaves or not is another matter, Liverpool can have good money and spend wisely to be stronger than last season
However as far as fans are concerned, they are frustrated because Liverpool have not won, infact have not been competing for top prizes lately and really need to look at the performances for the Blame game and not Luis Suarez who they backed all the way but now have their heads turned just because he may leave.
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His actions cannot be defended but yes some fans have gone nuts just coz he is leaving
Couldn’t agree more on the reputation thing
Ridiculously true. but Cantona and Ferdinand delivered league titles. Had Suarez won one no fan would have blamed him for anything today. BUT what was our squad, Suarez is not a superman to do that alone
lets be honest, he has been superb for liverpool..and i for one dont hate him.. if he thinks he needs to move on…let him go.. then we will all see how brendon does with the money…because next year is brendons last chance…if he fails top four he should be outed…no excuses if and they should give him all the money from saurez sale, plus the 20 mil they promised him, plus sales of players he sells…then he can have no excuses..we have lost great players before…..and replaced them….now its brendons turn to prove how good he is…
no body in this planet can build a top team in only one or two seasons. Even the great Alex Ferguson took more than seven to eight years to build up this wonderful Man utd team
Good article, my one gripe would be with the numerous people who point out that without Suarez we would have been much further down the league, why? Who’s to say that without Suarez Adam Morgan wouldn’t have come into the squad and scored hatfullls. Liverpool play to Suarez’s strengths as we did when Fernando was up top, there’s no denying that he’s world class but there’s also no proof that without him we would have crumbled.
There is that proof that without him we were actually crumbling – the stats
we all know that it will be hard to find a player of Suarez’s quality if he departs. then to say that Adam Morgan could have done the same as Suarez is naive and over generalizing. and atleast Rodgers proved you wrong because if he thought Morgan can score that many goals then he must have used him and shudnt have bought Sturridge.
Last your point about playing to his strengths then that is completely different from Torres case. Torres was provided the ball into feet and he was deadly at finishing. Just look at Suarez’s goals, you fill many a times he has to dig it up himself, beat a player or two and score. Dribbling and running around players is his main strength, something AM does not possess naturally.
Freekick vs City, hatrick against Norwich, Newcastle goal,brace v Qpr and many more involve his individual brilliance more
If Suarez is sold by 50mil, Carroll by 15, Skrtel by 5, other deadwood dispatched by the odd 10mil and plus 20 mil from owners, BR will have 100 mil to spend. I, for one, can’t see any striker as good as Suarez available, but we might buy a group of players who can do more than him alone, that’s BR’s job: use 100mil to find the right mix of players to take us back to the CL so we won’t lose players like Suarez (or Coutinho in a couple of years). Liverpool has now implemented the transfer/scouting committee to avoid transfer disasters like the Carroll, Henderson, Downing fiasco.
Terrific & sublime article, but from my own perspective. Liverpool fc manager, players & fans throughout the globe supported Luis Suarez during his ordeals & plights but he has betrayed us for saying he want to leave Liverpool. Suare is culpable for all his actions. YNWA.
For me,No one is bigger dan LIVERPOOL. Id he so wishes to leave, the door is open. His successor must be succesful too. Strikers are always succesful in LFC cos we have hard working midfielders