Ferdinand: I would take Mo Salah over Luis Suarez

[TLW]

Mo Salah continued his blistering start to the new campaign as Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Champions League with a 5-1 thumping over Porto on Tuesday Evening.

 

The Estadio De Grado has been a happy hunting ground for the Reds in recent seasons and with this latest victory they made it 14 goals scored and just two conceded over their last three appearances at the venue.

 

The Egyptian maestro scored a double to move his 2021/22 season tally to eight goals in as many games.

 

This is his best start to a season in Liverpool colours and on the back of Salah becoming the quickest player in club history to 100 Premier League goals, the discussion is on regarding where he sits in the pecking order of great players.

 

 

Rio Ferdinand gave an outsiders view on the topic saying that he would take Salah over another beloved goal scorer in Luis Suarez.

 

Metro (via BT Sport) reported the former Man United and England defender as saying:

 

“I’d take Mo Salah, I think what he’s done in the last four season, he’s the top scorer again for Liverpool this season, I think he’s immense.

 

“The icing on the cake is he’s an integral part of a team who’s won big trophies, the Premier League, the Champions League, he’s a joy to watch an assassin in and around the box.

 

“Yes Suarez had a fantastic season, but for what Mo Salah has done, I can’t look past him in the modern era, in terms of winning the league in a Liverpool shirt. 

 

‘He’s not even doing this playing as a No.9, he’s doing it as a wide striker, he gets all types of goals. He does a bit of everything for me, he takes people on, he can run from deep”

 

While the Uruguayan only spent three and a half seasons on Merseyside before a acrimonious departure to Barcelona, his Liverpool legacy is sealed scoring 82 goals in just 132 appearances including back to back seasons with 30 plus goals.

 

Despite being virtually shown the door by Barca and approaching his mid 30s, the determination of Suarez to prove people wrong is clearly evident and he played a major role in Atletico Madrid winning the La Liga title  last season and scored the winning penalty in their clash against AC Milan.

 

One man who knows all about stepping up at the big moment for Liverpool is Michael Owen and he had a different point of view to Ferdinand.

 

“As a one off season, Suarez under Brendan Rodgers, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, 31 goals and 17 assists. It’s not all about who wins the league.

 

‘I don’t think he’s [Salah] great when crosses come in, he’s not good at getting on the end of them with headers.’

 

It is a interesting discussion point and everyone will have a different view, but at the end of the day Liverpool fans are the true winners having seen both of these remarkable footballers in their prime week in and week out.

 

 

 

 

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[Jack the Sipper]

I don't know how to embed, but here's the debate:

 

https://streamable.com/lnlvax

 

I love Salah, but that 13/14 season from Suarez was arguably the best season of any player in the history of the PL. Plug's comebacks 'how many goals did he score?' (less than Salah's first season), how many trophies did he win (none) are redundant when you remember that Suarez played less games and didn't take penalties. And Salah never won anything in his first season either. And that's before we even get into what else they contributed to the side, who they played with and the manager.

[Code]

[Guest]

Mo Salah is quite handsome. 

[dockers_strike]

Not often I agree with ferdinand but there's just no competition in my book. Mo is head and shoulders above Suarez and Id pick him every time out of the 2.

[stringvest]

It's an interesting, if somewhat pointless debate.  Suarez on his day was unstoppable.  Salah on his day is unstoppable. 

The primary difference for me is that Suarez had even more potential to make things happen on his own.  In addition, Suarez had better all-round technique.  

 

[aws]

27 minutes ago, stringvest said:

It's an interesting, if somewhat pointless debate.  Suarez on his day was unstoppable.  Salah on his day is unstoppable. 

The primary difference for me is that Suarez had even more potential to make things happen on his own.  In addition, Suarez had better all-round technique.  

 

Must be my day for agreeing with you. Both fantastic players but Suarez had a higher level, could break open a game on his own and did it regularly. On the other hand Salah has done it for us over a longer period and comes with less issues. 

[Bjornebye]

Yeah peak Suarez for us pips Mo imo. No discredit to Salah at all though, he's genuinely world class. Suarez was on another level. 

[aRdja]

Horses for courses.

Suarez had better all round skills

Salah has superior pace

Suarez did most of his damage against smaller teams

Salah is a better big game player

[m0e]

Owen's entire point was in a one off season.

 

Suarez also has longevity if you look at his individual career. He spearheaded titles for Ajax, Barca and now Atletico.

 

He won something with Uruguay too, didn't he?

 

Longevity for Liverpool is irrelevant to the discussion of who would you take now, because Suarez left us to win stuff.

 

Like Salah would have done had we not won stuff.

 

In conclusion, I'd like them both here now, with a prime John Barnes on the left.

[TheHowieLama]

17 minutes ago, aRdja said:

Suarez had better all round skills

Salah has superior pace

Suarez did most of his damage against smaller teams

Salah is a better big game player

I can only assume you mean for Liverpool. 

[magicrat]

I would rather have Mo than Suarez in the team even though Suarez was probably more clinical in front of goal.

[CapeRed]

Its a tough call for me. I loved Luis and his attitude and also love Mo. Was wondering how much better Mo would or wouldnt be with Stevie behind him?

[aRdja]

20 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

I can only assume you mean for Liverpool. 

I’d say overall Salah is the better big game player. Suarez struggled to score in the CL a couple of seasons back… like one goal in two seasons or something stupid like that.

[Pidge]

He's a notoriously big fan of Suarez as well, Rio. 

 

At his best Luis could do things to a whole defence that no-one else in the world could, not sure I've ever seen a player as dangerous from the byline as Suarez, just impossible to contain in that position.

 

But mentally he can't hold a candle to Mo, given the same constant pressure from defences and the same lack of protection (although he took a kicking himself at times), Luis would have exploded many more times. Mo edges it for me, just a wee bit of longevity and... winning things. 

[TheHowieLama]

7 minutes ago, magicrat said:

I would rather have Mo than Suarez in the team 

In this team, for sure. This side is built around him.

[Remmie]

Luis in this team would be something else. Bring him home! 

[TheHowieLama]

9 minutes ago, aRdja said:

I’d say overall Salah is the better big game player. Suarez struggled to score in the CL a couple of seasons back… like one goal in two seasons or something stupid like that.

Not sure about that really.

 

The sheer amount of big games Suarez has been in and made the golas and won is far more than Salah. Nothing on Salah there as he just hasn't had that amount of opportunities.

Two of the finest players of their generation.

[rb14]

I've put a lot of thought into this and weighed up all the pros and cons. My somewhat inevitable inclusion is that Rio Ferdinand is a plug-faced cunt.

[Johnlj]

One is a striker, One is a winger/inside forward. What's the point in comparing them ? Can't see it.

 

As a 9: Suarez

 

As a winger/IF: Salah

 

 

[TheHowieLama]

Both is the answer.

[Boss]

It's not a fair comparison. Suarez played with a back 6 consisting of Mignolet, Cissohko, Sakho, Skrtel, Johnson and Allen. Salah played with a back 6 of Allison, Robertson, Van Dijk, Matip, Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho. Put Salah in Suarez's team and he wouldn't have won anything either.

[No2]

People have short memories, Suarez dragged a poor side to within inches of the title. He had a diminishing Gerrard behind him Lucas and Allen with an up and coming Sterling and Coutinho. That same side lost 6-1 to Stoke when he left while he was winning a European Cup. 

 

If you're comparing any player against that 2014 season and considering a swap then bring peak Messi to the table or fuck off.

 

Peak Gerrard never dragged us that close, Ronaldo couldn't have gotten that 2014 side over the line, nor Zidane or Henry. Suarez is probably the only player capable of transforming a side the way he did.

[Dave D]

3 hours ago, aRdja said:

Horses for courses.

Suarez had better all round skills

Salah has superior pace

Suarez did most of his damage against smaller teams

Salah is a better big game player

This is why Id go for Salah.

 

That said, Suarez could electrify the place like nothing Ive ever seen the mad bastard.

 

     

[Curly]

1 hour ago, No2 said:

Peak Gerrard never dragged us that close, Ronaldo couldn't have gotten that 2014 side over the line, nor Zidane or Henry. Suarez is probably the only player capable of transforming a side the way he did.

Disagree with this. 08/09 we picked up 86 points versus 84 in 13/14 and a post Christmas dip was our undoing there. We only lost 2 games all season