Jump to content
tlw content
tlw content

What does the future hold for Suarez and LFC? by Owen Morris

As Luis Suarez edges closer to his 'dream move' to Spain (he may even be gone by the time this article is published if Barcelona remember where they put their chequebook) my mind is split with this transfer. We are losing the third best player on the planet. For me, he is the most gifted player I've ever seen; probably eclipsing Gerrard based on purely talent.

 

I've never watched a player with such a will to succeed and who plays like his life depends on it in every single game. We are losing a player who can turn a game on its head in an instant; he is truly a magician with the ball at his feet.

 

However, for all the greatness he brings, he also carries more baggage than a Boeing 777. I'm not as devastated about this transfer compared to when Fernando Torres left. When Torres left I was in a state of shock, I felt cheated, our idol had gone. Well our idol is now again leaving, I'm disappointed but not to the grieving levels of 2011, primarily because of his 'previous' (biting, Evra, I could go on). I think also the fact he is leaving for Barcelona softens the blow as it is viewed as more of a professional move to work his way to the pinnacle of football. In stark contrast to El Nino who we felt abandoned us for one of our rivals. 

 

So what does that mean now for Luis Suarez? I'm sure everything will be fantastic for him now; it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if his 4-month ban from "all footballing activity" (oh, except signing for a new team, having a medical, and the new u-turn with regards to training) is eventually wiped out. There have been rumours him taking his case to CAS and of his ban being shortened to one month, meaning he wouldn't miss a single game for Barcelona. Unlikely but you wouldn't completely rule it out.

 

A word of warning for him though. The grass isn't always greener. When Owen, Heskey, Fowler, Torres, Crouch and even Ian Rush left Anfield, their goals per game dropped significantly. Torres is the latest casualty, as well documented, going from 0.64 gpg, to 0.18 gpg in 110 games for Chelsea. Although you'd expect Suarez to thrive in Spain playing alongside Messi and Neymar, he won't have the team set up with him as the focal point as he had here under Brendan Rodgers.

 

More importantly though, what does this mean for Liverpool? Who will we buy? Will we cope? That's why yet again, this transfer window is so important. With Suarez gone, we need to buy a quality attacker and strengthen our midfield with one more player, and also revamp the defence. With the signings of Emre Can, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, with Lazar Markovic soon to be added (I'd assume Divock Origi is going back on loan to Lille if we sign him) we have improved the quality in depth with some astute signings. My only problem for now is I think we probably could have signed all of them even without Champions League football.

 

We need to show what 'doors have opened' (as Rodgers put it) now that we're back in the top tier of European football. Being linked with players like Ryan Bertrand for example does not fill me with that hope for a team who finished second last season. Of course, there's plenty of time left, and plenty of money to spend, so we can only judge our summer come September 1st.

 

I'd like to see three defenders comes in, maybe four depending on who leaves. For sure we need a right back, left back, and a commanding centre back with experience at the top level. I'm no scout but I'd like to see us try for Serge Aurier of Toulouse, even though it looks like he's off to PSG. If he is we could look at Mattia De Sciglio or even Danilo. Either way, I cannot bear to think of Glen Johnson lining up for us next season.

 

For centre back, I'm a fan of Shalke Captain Benedikt Höwedes, and I think we would have a realistic chance of signing him, more so than Mats Hummels anyway. I also like Mehdi Benatia but Roma probably wouldn't sell him. I'm a fan of Dejan Lovren too, but if we have £20 million+ to spend on him, I think we can sign a player who has that extra bit of quality. For the left side of defence there aren't many available out there but I think signing Bertrand would be pointless. He is no better than Enrique or Flanagan, and is not exactly young any more. We are still in for Moreno, as reported by James Pearce, and I think he would be a good addition. Alternatively there is either Ricardo Rodríguez, or the Argentinian Marcos Rojo.

 

With Lucas looking likely to leave, I would like to see a top centre midfielder added to play alongside Henderson in a midfield three. I'd say we need a strong, dynamic midfielder who can help Gerrard defensively, but still contribute up the pitch, like a Pogba (never would happen in a million years!) or Axel Witsel. I would say Javi Martinez would go a long way to sorting out our problems if we could prise him away from Bayern.

 

For attack, I don't think there is a player out there like Suarez to replace him. Shouts of Higuain, Reus, Antoine Griezmann, Jackson Martinez and Lucas Moura have been bandied about over social media, but personally with Toni Kroos seemingly going to Real Madrid I would put a bid in for Isco and see what happens.

 

I just hope the team as a whole is more structured. We may lose some flair and unpredictability without Suarez, but I think that whoever we bring in, paired with the likes of Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling, we will still have enough about us to score plenty. If we could be a bit more structured defensively, and as a whole, I think we can still be successful and play our attractive football the Liverpool way. Only time will tell.

 

We've seen them come, and we've seen them go. Adios Luis.

 

 

 

Owen Morris

@LFCOpinion1


User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...