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There are controversies. There are shades of brilliance. With Luis Suarez, one can be sure that there will never be a dull moment when he is on the football pitch. 2013 was another such year. His performances on the field were terrific, and he also had his now all too common tryst with controversy. But, the bite on Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic will only be a small anecdote when describing this phenomenal year that the Uruguayan striker has had.
2013 started with Liverpool as a team in transition, and it has ended with many people believing that the Reds can actually mount a serious challenge for the ultimate prize – the Barclays Premier League title. And that change in mentality has, in no small part, been down to the excellence of this little Uruguayan, whose desire and hunger for the game is very difficult to be matched.
For far too long before 2013, Suarez was classified as a brilliant player who lacked the finishing touch, but that has been the biggest improvement from Suarez this year. With one competitive game left before the year draws to a close, Suarez has scored 33 goals in 31 appearances for Liverpool. But, Suarez’s contributions don’t end with the goals that he scores. He is an absolute nightmare for defenders to handle, because of his ability to drift across the width of the pitch, and his ability to create a goal-scoring opportunity out of seemingly nothing.
A large chunk of credit for Suarez’s stellar year must go to the Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers. He has galvanised Liverpool, and taken a large share of the burden off Suarez with the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge in the January transfer window. Suarez has thrived in partnership with the England man. With Sturridge being the out-and-out striker in the box at most times, it has allowed Suarez to come deep and receive the ball, and set Liverpool on their way. The contribution of Coutinho can, in no way, be neglected. Coutinho has a fantastic range of passing, and his ability to play pin-point through balls has meant Suarez has had a lot more opportunities in front of goal.
For much of 2012, the problem with Liverpool was that there was no creator for Suarez to feed off. All too often, he had to come deep to instigate the play, and that meant that there was no one up front to score the goals. But, after the arrivals of Sturridge and Coutinho, Suarez could play without the pressure of having to carry the burden of expectation at a club like Liverpool, almost single-handedly. A hat-trick against Wigan, influential displays against Arsenal, Swansea and Norwich, and many felt Suarez was on his way to being one of the top players of this generation. But that is when the ugly side of Suarez came to the fore.
When Chelsea visited Anfield in late April – a game that was much touted as Rafa Benitez’s return to his old stomping ground – Suarez had given away a penalty from a corner with a moment of stupidity as he held his hand high, and the ball struck it. He decided to take his frustration out on Branislav Ivanovic, and bit the Serbian’s hand. Although no immediate action was taken, Suarez was retrospectively banned for 10 games. That resulted in widespread rumours that Suarez might make the switch to Real Madrid, but Liverpool managed to keep hold of their most prized possession.
And Suarez has paid them back for their faith in him, and how! After missing the first five games this season, Suarez has come out all guns blazing. In just 14 games this season, Suarez has scored 19 goals and has had a direct role in 7 other goals in that period. His performances on the field have been rewarded with a new contract, that makes him the highest paid player ever in Liverpool’s rich history.
On the behavioural side as well, Suarez has improved immensely. There has been a visible difference in the way Suarez has conducted himself on the field this season. Although the hunger and desire have not died down one bit, there is a calm demeanor to Suarez now. There is much lesser taking out of frustration on the officials or on other players. And his impressive disciplinary record only enhances that argument. He has received only 2 yellow cards this season. And that has meant that Brendan Rodgers has entrusted Suarez with the responsibility and the privilege of being the Liverpool Captain.
There has been more than one performance from Suarez this season, that will be remembered for many a year. Suarez ran the show for the Reds against Spurs at White hart Lane, scoring two and directly assisting the other three goals in an impressive 5-0 thrashing, which sent out a clear message that Liverpool were no mere pushovers. There was also a stellar performance in March at the DW Stadium, as Suarez, assisted by the brilliance of Coutinho and Sturridge scored a hat-trick to ensure Wigan were put to the sword on their way to relegation. There have been games where he hasn’t scored the bulk of the goals, but has been as essential a contributor to Liverpool’s chances as anyone else.
But, perhaps the most breath-taking performance from Luis Suarez in 2013 came against his good friends from Norwich City. Having already scored two hat-tricks against the Canaries previously, Suarez once again put them to the sword, blasting 4 past them, as Liverpool won 5-1 on the night, and left the Anfield faithful with a performance that they will savour for years to come, and something that they hadn’t seen before. Scoring four goals in a game is no mean feat, but the quality of the goals on that day is what stands out.
The first one, a dipping volley from all of 40 yards. The second, an intuitive flick from a corner. The third on the night though, was a work of art. Suarez picked the ball up in an innocuous position, flicked it around Leroy Fer, and unleashed an absolutely ferocious volley that John Ruddy had no chance against. The fourth goal was what has now become a customary Suarez free-kick from 25 yards out. As Steven Gerrard said after the game, “That is as good a performance as we’ll ever see from an individual at Anfield”.
2013 has been a year where Luis Suarez got muddled in another controversy. But, it is also the year when Suarez took his football to another level. A level at where he is expected to score more than one goal every game. A level where he is expected to carry Liverpool along with him. A level from where he can start looking above at a pantheon of greats and how he can secure his position in it.
And when the Anfield faithful sing “We Just Can’t get Enough”, there is meaning to it, because Luis Suarez is the ray of hope that Liverpool fans have wanted since 2010, their knight in shining armour.
