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When Luis Suarez’s name was called as one of the nominees in last year’s PFA player of the year there were a considerable number of ‘boos’ and jibes. This was understandable as the awards were happening in the aftermath of the infamous bite incident with Branislov Ivanoivc.
How a season and a change in attitude has completely turned around his fortunes! He was one of the strongest contenders last season and he probably lost it due all the non-football issues he created on the field. Now, exactly a year later he has landed the prize that he would have longed for. A warm round of applause and a friendly atmosphere was the icing on the cake for the Uruguayan striker.
He has scored a record number of 30 goals this season (highest for a Liverpool player in the Premier League era) and his phenomenal all round game has helped Liverpool challenge for the title. However, questions still persist whether he really deserved the award above Yaya Toure.
The Ivory Coast and Manchester City midfielder has had a magnificent year himself where he has excelled in all departments. He has been pivotal in ensuring that City’s title pursuit will go till the final day of the season.
So, is the PFA player of the year for Luis Suarez justified?
Stats for Luis Suarez and Yaya Toure for 2013-2014:
Both Suarez and Toure have had a phenomenal season in terms of total goals scored as they have scored 30 and 19 respectively. This season Suarez has increased his goal tally by 7 goals as compared to last season and Toure has increased his tally by an impressive 12 goals. This statistic would have been incomparable if Suarez had not missed the initial few games due to his ban.
Suarez stats (via Squawka.com)
However, it needs to be noted that Toure takes penalties for Manchester City and this season he has scored a total of 6 from the spot. So, to make this statistic more comparable lets discard the penalties scored by Toure as Suarez doesn’t take penalties. Suarez has scored more than double the goals as compared to Toure.
Critics would argue with the statistic of goals scored as both play in different positions for their respective teams. Let’s compare them on aspects which could draw parallels on how they affect a game.
In terms of chances created and assists for the team, Luis Suarez surprisingly comes up trumps in this department also. That he has managed to create more apart from scoring goals speaks volumes of his all round game. He has double the assists as compared to Toure which is significant as Toure traditionally plays in a position meant to affect games.
In terms of average duels won, both are more or less comparable as Luis Suarez has 42% to Toure’s 44%. A closer look to the breakdown shows that Suarez is better than Toure in completing a successful tackle with the percentage being 44% to 33% in favour of Suarez. Also, with the mobility, positional changes and game intelligence of Suarez he is bound to be closely marked by opponents hence, he will always draw more fouls than most of the players in the league.
The 2 main aspects of the game where Toure outshines Suarez are in terms of shot accuracy and successful completion of passes. Toure boasts of a 90% average pass accuracy and a 57% shot accuracy which is higher than Suarez’s tally of 75% pass accuracy and 53% shot accuracy.
So, basically in terms of statistics both these players are more or less equal in their contribution to the cause of the team. However, Suarez nudges Toure by a small margin in the overall statistics as his all round game with his impressive goal tally has been an important catalyst in Liverpool’s title charge.
Luis Suarez
When the season is seen as a complete picture, there are several things to be considered apart from statistics. Luis Suarez ended the last season with one of the most controversial incident of the Premier League. He was handed a 10 match ban which continued to the start of this campaign. During the summer he tried to force a move to Arsenal claiming absence from the Champions League and broken promises by the club. Liverpool, however, dug deep and ensured that their prized asset would be with them for the next season.
He was in all sorts of trouble for his maligned public attack of Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool football club. He looked a forlorn figure just trying to get away from the club that had publicly backed him over the course of his controversial 2 years in English football. An inspirational talk by Steven Gerrard and an acceptance of the fact that Liverpool was not going to entertain any transfers meant he would stay at the club for at least another season. On the other side of the North West, Toure was well settled and preparing for a new season under new management.
Since the ban ended, Luis Suarez has been absolutely mesmerizing throughout the season. He never looked de-motivated nor did he sulked over the events that surrounded him over the summer. He has in fact been more focused on achieving success for the club and his team mates. His performances have been nothing short of awe-inspiring at times while helping Liverpool achieve their ambition of securing the Champions league football and challenging an unprecedented Premier League title. He has been supported ably by the team but his all round skills has been more often the game changer in numerous situations.
What has been a notable difference this season has been a change in his attitude and certain calm on the football field. No longer does he look like a figure who would sulk at decisions, have a go at the officials and try to do things which might uphold the spirit of the game. Although there might have been some flashes of these in the past couple of weeks, overall he has managed to stay professionally at his best behavior. A part of the credit certainly deserves to go to Brendan Rodgers and his support staff who have ensured that Luis Suarez can have a trouble free season.
He has endeared himself to the supporters who have idolized him and who were one of the prime reasons he stayed with the club. His dream of featuring in the Champions league is fulfilled now and what remains to be seen is whether he will be able to guide Liverpool to a title glory.
So to answer the question whether the PFA player is justified for Luis Suarez, it would be a resounding ‘Yes’.
Suarez deserves the limelight for his Premier League accomplishments. Other clubs in the league challenging for the title has more star power in their squad, but none of them would have a player of his caliber who has performed continuously at the highest level throughout the season. In matches where he has not been able to score goals, he was still one of the busiest in terms of creating opportunities for his team mates and even helping out the team defensively. The fact remains that Sturridge and Sterling have benefited hugely from Suarez’s all round capabilities.
Whatever happens from now till the last game, regardless of whether Liverpool wins the title or not, Suarez has cemented his status as one of the world’s elite footballers.
