Will Winning Mentality Drive Suarez Exit?Luis Suarez's winning mentality may not have seen him make many friends in the Premier League, but it's key to Liverpool's hopes of achieving their goals next season...
Last Updated: 01/04/13 at 08:49 Post Comment
Luis Suarez's incredible winning mentality is both the biggest strength of Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool team and the biggest threat to the club's chances of holding onto the forward. It is also the reason Suarez is unlikely to win this season's PFA Player of the Year award, with his desire to gain victory often manifesting itself in a nasty streak that has seen the striker leave stud marks on Sylvain Distin and David Jones' ankles as well as the back of Zenit St Petersburg defender Tomas Hubocan.
If you were a professional footballer - and they're the only people who can prevent Suarez from picking up the award, as Jamie Redknapp helpfully reminded us - would you vote for a player who not only twists your blood with his skill but also aggravates in more ways than seems possible? Suarez is a pest, perhaps worse, and while his fellow professionals would surely acknowledge his superb talent, few will be keen to reward him for being such a nuisance.
One player who has vehemently advocated Suarez's cause, rather unsurprisingly, is Steven Gerrard, with the Liverpool captain possibly hoping that if Suarez at least wins the Player of the Year award his appetite to achieve at Anfield will be satisfied this season and encouraged for one final crack at the top four next year.
"He's top scorer in the league now and he's been incredible. I can't put into words how good he's been. If he doesn't win an award this year, he'll be the best player ever not to win an award," said Gerrard in March.
The Liverpool captain clearly has a point and in many ways it's a shame that Suarez's talent may not be formally recognised by his colleagues. It's absurd that such a skilful player - who should also feature several times on 'goal of the season' polls (a personal favourite being his wonderful control and finish against Newcastle) - could end up empty-handed after a season of spectacular personal performances.
The main concern for Liverpool, of course, is that after a trophy-less campaign and another (not yet mathematically) failed attempt at qualifying for the Champions League, Suarez may be tempted by the glam and glitter of Europe's biggest clubs in the summer. As with any of the game's finest players, Suarez is driven by an extraordinary desire to succeed and his ambitions surely cannot be met by competing in the Europa League and for domestic glory in the form of the FA and League Cups.
Suarez's relentless display in Liverpool's victory over Aston Villa on Sunday underlined his winning mentality, with the forward again proving himself to be the hardest-working player on the pitch despite Villa's desperate predicament and his exhausting trip to South America for Uruguay's World Cup qualifying double-header last week. Although the striker failed to show the composure in front of goal that has seen him rack up 22 Premier League strikes so far, he still managed an astonishing nine attempts at Villa Park - equal to or more than nine Premier League teams that played over the weekend.
"For me the striker drives the train, and when you look at the history of this club, men like Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Robbie Fowler worked incredibly hard," said Brendan Rodgers as he acknowledged Suarez's work-rate last week.
"Luis does that too. He is a great leader, the way he presses up there. He has an absolutely amazing appetite for the game."
The worry now for Liverpool is that Suarez's appetite will force him to search for a bigger challenge in the summer. And if Suarez does leave, the Reds will not only miss his goals and stirring performances, but also the Uruguayan's winning mentality that has proven a beacon of hope and a real motivator in another season of unfulfilled ambitions.
Matt Stanger
http://www.football365.com/f365-says/8610173/Will-Winning-Mentality-Drive-Suarez-Exit-中立黎講, 講得唔錯.... 希望suarez起碼都留多一季再下啦~~ 始終講到野心, 講到挑戰難度, 留低絕對比加盟其他更強球會嘅挑戰更大架!! 咁樣更加啱佢style同性格~~
個人而言, 今個summer留住佢真係至為重要, 就算40m +都好, 點都買唔返呢個入球量 + 牽制力 + 創造力 + 爭勝心 + 勤力度
