Suarez proves his worth (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

Luis Suarez may have short changed himself. Two hundred thousand pounds a week doesn't really seem enough when he's delivering performances like this week after week. Liverpool may have made him their highest paid player ever, but in this kind of form he's worth every penny, and then some.

Cardiff City became the Uruguayan's latest victim as two goals and an assist from Liverpool's man of the moment ensured this game was basically over by half time. The visitors kept plugging away and even 'won the second half' as Liverpool took their foot off the gas, but the 3-1 scoreline was the very least the home side deserved, having also struck the woodwork on three occasions.

Suarez is the focus of attention every week these days, but having signed that new contract the day before the game the eyes of the football world were on Liverpool's talismanic number seven and, as ever, he didn't disappoint. It was far from a one man show as Liverpool played some wonderful football at times -- especially in the first half -- but Suarez was at the hub of everything they did. He'd already gone close early on with a shot into the side netting before he opened the scoring with a typically brilliant volley, finishing off a move he'd started himself.

His second goal was a beauty too, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for Suarez. This was just an average day at the office for him, he's doing this kind of thing every week now. He's scored at least twice in four consecutive matches and has a remarkable 19 goals in 12 games this season.

I don't remember ever seeing anything like this and I'm wondering when was the last time a player in England had that kind of a record over a dozen games? Even if someone has managed to equal that kind of strike rate, you can be sure they haven't produced the quality of goals that Suarez has managed. It's not even just the number or quality of goals he's scoring though, he's creating them for others too and is generally just wreaking havoc every time he steps onto the field. It's an absolute privilege to watch; he's an incredible talent but he's also a great teammate and he's now taking on leadership responsibilities as stand-in skipper and inspiring his younger teammates on to greater things too.

Read the full article here.