Suarez made Liverpool title contenders but did he also cost them glory?
- bessbcq15629
- Aug 21, 2016
- 3 min read

“I really could leave happy because if I hadn’t had the attitude and mentality to lead the team, I don’t think Liverpool would have done as well as they did,” said Luis Suarez in a recent interview on Barcelona’s official website.
“I put the team ahead of that [personal success] and last season Liverpool came so close to winning the Premier League, which would have been spectacular.”
Translation: ‘They couldn’t have done it without me.’ And judging by this season so far, he is probably right.
The Uruguayan was nothing short of sensational in 2013/14, as he helped Brendan Rodgers’ side to a second place finish in the Premier League, scoring a stunning 31 goals in 33 games and being rightly rewarded with personal accolades.
The Merseysiders were just three agonising points off winning the title, ahead of the consistent Manchester City, who appeared to sneak to the title as the Reds imploded and Chelsea chucked away their nine week spell on top with defeats to Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland.
But, as much as we agree with Suarez’s self-applied pat on the back, could it be that the reason Liverpool ultimately failed to lift the Premier League trophy at the end of an enthralling campaign is also down to the Uruguayan?
Sure, Steven Gerrard, much to the joy of both sides of Manchester, slipped against Chelsea as they fell to a 2-0 defeat, but the Blues were the only side Liverpool failed to beat across the entire league season either home or away. It was badly timed, of course, while the fatal blow came with the inexplicable 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace, which left Suarez in tears.
Yet titles are won and lost across 38 games and it might serve Suarez well to consider the opening five Premier League games of the season. These opening matches he played no part in, thanks to his own bad behaviour.
On April 21, 2013, the Uruguayan’s infamous gnashers, which had already gone to town on then PSV Eindhoven star Otman Bakkal, found themselves gnawing on Branislav Ivanovic’s arm.
It was an incident that even saw Prime Minister David Cameron stick his oar in and demand the FA seriously reprimand the striker, who was eventually banned for ten games and fined an undisclosed sum by Liverpool.
But it is arguable that Liverpool paid the ultimate price for his insolence just over a year later when, despite beating Newcastle United 2-1 on May 11, 2014, they were beaten to the title by Man City.
Suarez’s suspension saw him miss the first five Premier League games of the 2013/14 campaign, where Liverpool strung together some tight 1-0 wins, before stumbling to a 2-2 draw with Swansea (relying on Victor Moses to score) and then getting dispatched 1-0 by Southampton at Anfield, thanks to future Red Dejan Lovren.
Had Suarez behaved properly, he would have been available for the entirety of the campaign, including those matches with Swansea City and Southampton, with just one goal in each of those matches handing Rodgers’ side the points they would have required to top the table.
Instead, the Reds fell agonisingly short in what was by far their best opportunity to end a 24-year wait for the title. Suarez played a huge role in putting Liverpool into contention, but if he's going to take credit for that he should acknowledge his costly absence, too.
While talking about his World Cup bite on Giorgio Chiellini, Suarez remarked: "It is good to accept that you have made a mistake and that's what I did.”
Not for the first time, Luis.
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