Lucas : Suarez can get even better

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has warned the rest of the Premier League that red-hot striker Luis Suarez can get even better.

Suarez has been in unstoppable form since returning from suspension, scoring 19 goals in just 12 league appearances to help lift Liverpool to the top of the table for Christmas.

The Uruguay international has set a new Premier League record in December, becoming the first player to score 10 goals in a calendar month since the division's inception in 1992.

Those strikes have come in just four games, with Suarez seemingly relishing the added responsibility of captaining Brendan Rodgers' side in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard.

England skipper Gerrard labelled Suarez "the best player in the world" on current form after watching the 26-year-old score twice in Liverpool's 5-0 rout of Tottenham on December 15, while Lucas feels his team-mate has established himself as the leading star in the English top flight.

"Suarez has done very well," he told Perform. "After being suspended for the first five games of the season, in 12 games he has scored 19 goals if I am not wrong.

"[This] is at the level of Ronaldo and Messi ... I believe he is now among the top five in the world for everything he has done this season.

"He is a player who improves every day. He had some problems in the past but he learned and now he is much quieter, without losing that aggressiveness on the field.

"That's good, because he can play even better."

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Lucas : Luis Suarez is the best player in the Premier League

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva says in-form striker Luis Suarez is now the best player in the Premier League.

The Uruguay striker took his Premier League tally to 19 in 12 games with two goals in the 3-1 win over troubled Cardiff at Anfield which took the Reds above leaders Arsenal - for another day at least.

Suarez signed a long-term contract on Friday - reportedly worth £175,000-a-week - and Lucas says he deserves every penny.

What he is doing this season and what he has done in the past few seasons he deserved that," said Brazilian Lucas of his fellow South American.

"We can see he is really comfortable playing here. It (the contract) is a positive message because the owners and manager said they want to keep their best players and at the moment he is not only our best player but the best player in the league.

"Hopefully he will maintain this form for a long time for the club."

If Arsenal fail to beat Chelsea on Monday, Liverpool will go into their Boxing Day clash with Manchester City top of the league.

The last four teams to occupy that position went on to win the title but even with Suarez in the form he is Lucas insists they are taking nothing for granted.

"We are top of the league until Monday. It is good to be there, it gives you a lot of confidence," the Brazil midfielder told LFC TV.
We just go game by game. We know our main target is to play Champions League again and every week we are improving.

"If we keep the same mentality playing as a team I think we will have a good season and a positive one.

"We go into the next two games knowing they are crucial but with a lot of confidence, especially after winning four games in a row."

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