Allardyce: Suarez among best in the world

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has hailed striker Luis Suarez as one of the world's best footballers, and is fully aware of the Uruguay international's threat ahead of their clash with Liverpool.

The Premier League leaders visit Upton Park on Sunday, with West Ham facing the unenviable task of trying to halt the Merseyside club's 13-match unbeaten league run, which includes eight straight victories.

The Reds' title challenge has been forged around the strike partnership between Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, with the duo combining for 49 top-flight goals this season.

Allardyce reserved particular praise for Suarez, who he places "in the top two or three in the world".

"At the moment I think that the Liverpool team, in terms of its form and results, is operating at 100 per cent," he said.

"When you have two quality strikers of the ilk of Sturridge and Suarez then the rest of the team know that somewhere along the line they're going to put the ball in the back of the net if they provide the service for them.

"At the moment he [Suarez] now finds himself in the top two or three in the world. The commitment he showed to Liverpool and they showed to him, seems to have given him that extra impetus this season to go out and be even better than he was after the problems he had.

"The combination with Sturridge has flourished where that looked a little concerning in the early stages as neither wanted to play in a wide position.

"That seems to have all come together now and the rest of the team is providing the service behind them and has grown in quality and confidence."

Liverpool will undoubtedly begin the match as favourites, but West Ham head into the encounter with back-to-back 2-1 victories over Hull City and Sunderland.

And Allardyce is hopeful of giving Brendan Rodgers' men a run for their money.

He added: "We're on a top-six run of form at the moment and hopefully that will give us the chance to challenge Liverpool on Sunday."

Read More»

Suarez : I'm more angel than demon

Liverpool star Luis Suarez insists he is more of "an angel than a demon" despite the series of controversies that have blighted his career.

Suarez has attracted as much criticism as praise during his time in England as a result of his racism row with Patrice Evra and biting of Branislav Ivanovic.

But the Uruguayan has let his football do the talking this season, scoring an incredible 24 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions to spearhead a surprise Liverpool title surge.

And despite his past indiscretions, Suarez is adamant he is a nice person away from the football pitch.

"I think I'm more an angel than a demon," he told Telefoot. "I'm very shy in life."

Suarez also insisted he makes an effort to adjust to the country in which he plays, hinting he might one day consider a move to France when questioned about Paris Saint-Germain.

"I always try to learn the culture and language of the country where I play," he added. "I did it in Netherlands and now I speak English.

"So if I play abroad in the future, I'll learn the language and I'll learn French if I play in France."

But despite this, the 27-year-old remains clear on what he wants to achieve with Liverpool.

"My main objective is to play in the Champions League with Liverpool," he revealed. "Playing a Champions League game at Anfield would be awesome."

Read More»

Mertesacker: We wanted Suarez to join Arsenal

Per Mertesacker has revealed his Arsenal team-mates were keen on Luis Suarez joining the club last summer.

The Gunners had two bids for the Uruguay international turned down, but Wenger insists he will not reignite his interest in Suarez at the end of the season, although Mertesacker believes the Liverpool forward would have settled quickly in north London.

"Suarez is like a cheeky boy, he looks like a cheeky boy who can really switch on and off how he wants to be, so that is really something," Mertesacker told The Guardian.

"When he is on the pitch, what is going on around him doesn't bother him.

"He is just a pure striker and that is what comes out after the transfer requests and him saying: 'It's better for me to leave because I want to play Champions League.'

“When we heard that Arsenal might be interested in him, obviously we were up for it and we thought, 'Yeah, he would fit in.' But after, we got [Mesut] Ozil."

Mertesacker claims the arrival of compatriot Ozil from Real Madrid boosted everyone connected with Arsenal and believes the midfielder was “the right addition” last summer.

"To reach another level, you sometimes need the right addition to lift everybody, not just the players but the whole club and the whole public in between," said the Germany international.

"We didn't need five or six players late in the window, which is what Arsenal got when I arrived.

“It is not easy to get everyone settled. We were a good squad and we didn't lose any players over the summer, which was the main part. But we needed that right addition and we can say that Ozil was it."

Read More»

Juventus could go for Luis Suarez if Pogba departs

Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport reports the Serie A Champions Juventus will target the likes of Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema or Diego Costa, should they lose star midfielder Paul Pogba.

Juventus like any other top clubs have no intentions of selling their star midfielder Pogba, but they would be helpless, if mega-rich clubs like PSG puts a handsome offer on the table. The Bianconeri are not only hoping to keep the 20-year-old with them, as he has established as one of the best young midfielders in the world at the moment, but the Italian giants are also planning a contract extension as well.

Gazzetta reports that Juventus director Beppe Marotta is not only planning to extend the contract of Pogba and Pirlo, but is also plotting a counter-plan, should the Frenchman leave the club.

In that case, the club will make heavy investment in the strike department. They want another world class striker like Carlos Tevez and have lined up few options – top of that list is Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.

Reds fans will remember that Juventus have been monitoring Suarez for couple of years now and even tried to lure him in the past, but with no effect. But, Juventus fear that Suarez could cost around 85m Euros, as he has recently signed a new long-term contract, while meeting his weekly wages could be a hindrance as well.

Alternatively, they have lined up Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa and Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic, should they fail to lure Suarez from Merseyside.

Read More»

Ronaldo catches Suarez in European Golden Shoe standings

Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to the top of the European Golden Shoe standings following his two goals in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Celta de Vigo in La Liga on Monday evening.

The Portuguese attacker has now netted 20 goals in the Spanish top flight this term to move level with Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, who was not in Premier League action at the weekend.

Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa failed to find the net in his side's hard-fought 1-0 win over Malaga and has to settle for third spot for now.

Giuseppe Rossi sits fourth, but is unlikely to add to his tally any time soon after picking up a knee injury in Fiorentina's victory against Livorno.

French attacker Antoine Griezmann makes his first appearance in the top 10 after scoring once in Real Sociedad's 2-0 win over Bilbao.

Rank	Player	Country	Club	League	Weight	Goals	Points
1	C. Ronaldo	POR	Real Madrid	ESP	2	20 (+2)	40
=	Luis Suarez	URU	Liverpool	ENG	2	20	40
3	Diego Costa	ESP	Atletico Madrid	ESP	2	19	38
4	Giuseppe Rossi	ITA	Fiorentina	ITA	2	14	28
5	Nerijus Valskis *	LTU	Suduva	LTU	1	27	27
6	Sergio Aguero	ARG	Manchester City	ENG	2	13	26
7	Alfred Finnbogason	ISL	Heerenveen	NED	1.5	17	25.5
8	Antoine Griezmann	FRA	Real Sociedad	ESP	2	12 (+1)	24
9	Vladimir Voskoboinikov *	EST	Kalju Nomme	EST	1	23	23
10	Zlatan Ibrahimovic	SWE	Paris Saint-Germain	FRA	1.5	15	22.5
=	Marko Devic	UKR	Metalist Kharkiv	UKR	1.5	15	22.5
=	Philipp Zulechner	AUT	Grodig	AUT	1.5	15	22.5

History & How It Works

Players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Diego Forlan have won the European Golden Shoe in the past few seasons, with the Argentina international as the latest winner of the award following his 46 goals in 2012-13.

Other noteworthy winners include the likes of Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, Ronaldo, Marco van Basten, Eusebio and Gerd Muller.

The weightings are determined by the league's ranking on the Uefa coefficients, which in turn depend on the results of each league's clubs in European competition over the previous five seasons. Goals scored in the top five leagues according to the Uefa coefficients are multiplied by a factor of two, and goals scored in the leagues ranked six to 21 are multiplied by 1.5. Goals in all other leagues are worth one single point.

This measure has prevented players from so-called weaker leagues from winning the European Golden Shoe, since a goal scored in, for example, Armenia, Estonia or Azerbaijan, carries less weight than a goal scored in Serie A, La Liga, the Bundesliga or the Premier League.

Read More»

Rodgers: Liverpool not dependant on Suarez

Brendan Rodgers insists that Liverpool are not a one-man team - despite Luis Suarez’s performances dominating the headlines this season.

The striker has notched up 19 goals in the opening half of the 2013-14 Premier League campaign, despite missing the opening five games due to a ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Despite Suarez's dominance, Rodgers is keen to prove his less-talked-about players are playing their part.

"This is a group that has always been labelled as a one-man team," Rodgers told reporters.

"When Luis was playing, it was a 'one-man team'. He came out and we still continued to get results; Daniel Sturridge came out and we continued to get results; Steven Gerrard came out and we continued to get results.

"Importantly, on top of that, we got performances. We work in a certain way that aligns everyone into that model so everyone knows when they come into the team they know their job and specifically what they're doing.

"We'll always be reliant on the team ethic. We've got more injuries but I see it as an opportunity for players that maybe haven't featured or played so much.

"They have now got to stand up and show that they can be involved a lot more regularly. That's what I expect over the next couple of games."

Injuries have weakened Rodgers' squad - with the Northern Irishman forced to use 18 year-old debutant Brad Smith as a substitute against Chelsea - but he was unmoved when asked about January incomings.

"There's nothing to add on anything with regard to players coming in," he said. "There's nothing imminent.

"Obviously the recruitment team are busy putting things together in terms of the profile of players we need here to improve the team and the squad.

"The owners have invested millions upon millions into the team; every window we arrive in looking to improve it where we can. This window will be no different."

Read More»

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."

Read More»

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."

Read More»

Premier League: Liverpool vs Cardiff City 21/12/2013

1- 0 Suarez 

2 - 0 Sterling 

3 - 0 Suarez


3 - 1 Mutch

Read More»

Suarez signs new Liverpool deal

Luis Suarez has signed a new "long-term" contract at Liverpool, the club have confirmed.

The Uruguayan has enjoyed a sensational 2013, scoring 27 times in 25 games, while he has netted 17 times in just 11 Premier League matches this season.

As reported earlier this week that Liverpool had opened talks with Suarez over a club-record deal thought to eventually be worth up to £200,000 a week, and the 26-year-old has now put pen to paper.

"I am delighted to have agreed a new deal with Liverpool and have my future secured for the long term," Suarez told the club's official website.

"We have some great players and the team is growing and improving all the time. I believe I can achieve the ambitions of winning trophies and playing at the very highest level with Liverpool. My aim is to help get us there as quickly as possible."

Suarez made no secret of his desire to leave the club during the summer, with Arsenal failing with two bids during the transfer window after being led to believe an offer of over £40 million would trigger a release clause.

However, the 26-year-old insists the "special relationship" he has with Liverpool supporters has persuaded him to commit himself to the Anfield outfit.

He continued: "Without doubt the backing I have received from the Liverpool fans has influenced my decision. I am so proud to represent them and go out to do my best for them every time I pull on the shirt.

"We have a special relationship; they have love for me and in return I love them back. I will always do my best for them and hopefully we can achieve success together."

Read More»

Pellegrini : Aguero , better than Suarez

Manuel Pellegrini believes Luis Suarez could be the star striker in the Premier League but rates Sergio Aguero as the better player.

The Liverpool man jumped ahead of his Manchester City counterpart in the top-flight scoring charts on Wednesday after netting all four goals in a comfortable win over Norwich - taking his tally to 13 in nine outings.

"Suarez is a very important striker, but I think Sergio participates more in the game," Pellegrini is quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.

"Sergio is just 25-years-old, so I think of course he can improve. I think this year he has improved a lot in the way he works during matches.

"He has always been a top player and he has always scored goals, but I think at this moment, he has added working for the team without the ball, which is also important for him.

"I never said he was the best striker in the Premier League - I said he was the best player. Maybe there are players who are better strikers than him, but not as complete as him."

Read More»

Hamann: €71m are not enough for Suarez

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann feels €71.5 million is not enough to prise striker Luis Suarez away from Anfield.

"No, absolutely it's not enough," he told to reporters when asked if €70m was a fair figure. "I think €65-70m was the figure they would have wanted at least in the summer, and you see how he's playing now, I don't think €70m would be enough."

The former Germany international also believes the striker is content at Anfield but has warned his former club he could leave if they do not secure a top-four finish this season.

"Well he seems to be happy. You can't play that kind of football [performance against Norwich] if you're not happy, so he's seems very happy to be where he is at the moment," he added.

"I don't think he'll leave in January - I don't think that's an option - Liverpool have to keep him if they want to finish it in the top four. But that remains to be seen.

"If they don't finish in the top four then there might be a chance for him to leave. He's given his service now, done his utmost to get Liverpool into the top four and unfortunately they haven't managed it so far.

"If they don't [qualify for the Champions League] then I think it's a similar situation [to last summer].

"It would take a ridiculous bid, and then there might be a chance he'd leave. I don't think you can blame the boy.

"If he wants to leave in June, if he wants to play in the Champions League - and Liverpool weren't to finish there - then I think there's a chance he will leave."

Read More»

Aldridge: Liverpool must keep Suarez

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has urged the Reds to do everything possible to keep Luis Suarez at Anfield and believes the striker has "grown up" after a string of controversies.

The Uruguay international, the subject of several unsuccessful bids from Arsenal during the summer, is the Premier League's joint leading scorer despite missing the first five games of the season through suspension.

The 26-year-old, who has struck up a formidable partnership with Daniel Sturridge, remains linked with the Gunners and La Liga gaints Real Madrid, but Aldridge is adamant that Liverpool must retain his services.

"I don’t think it would be a wise decision to let Suarez go,"

"I know that it will also depend on the player as well, but I believe he must continue at Liverpool next season. He is one of the best strikers in the world - we must never forget that."

Suarez entered the new season carrying over a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, one of many misdemeanours committed since joining Liverpool from Ajax in 2011, but Aldridge believes he has put those controversies behind him.

"That [indiscipline] is the only problem about him, but I am sure that he is growing up and starting to take responsibility for his actions," Aldridge added.

Suarez has netted eight times in the Premier League this term, level with team-mate Sturridge and Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, and has scored or assisted a goal every 53 minutes since returning to action for the Reds.

Read More»

Suarez: Ribery deserves Ballon d'Or

Liverpool star Luis Suarez has backed Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery to win the Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has won the game's greatest individual prize four times, but Suarez believes Ribery could dethrone the Barcelona forward following his successful campaign with Bayern.

"I don't think there's one clear favourite for the Ballon d'Or. Based on last year's performances, Ribery deserves to win it after his incredible treble with Bayern Munich," Suarez told RMC.

"But Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have a good case as well following all their goals. They have some spectacular statistics.

"Regardless of who will win it, he deserves it."

The Uruguay international then went on to praise Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has also made the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or.

"Ibrahimovic really is an incredible player. It's impressive what he does with his tall body.

"His spectacular goals in recent weeks have been inspiring."

Suarez has been in fine form for Liverpool since his return from suspension and has scored six goals in five Premier League games so far.

Read More»

Arteta: It's a pity Arsenal didn't sign tremendous Suarez

Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta admits it is "a pity" for his side that Liverpool striker Luis Suarez did not move to the Emirates Stadium last summer.

The Uruguayan was the subject of repeated bids from the Gunners but the Reds blocked the move and he has since scored six goals in five games, with Arsene Wenger's men his next opponents.

And Spaniard Arteta has expressed his regret that Arsenal could not land Suarez's signature, suggesting that he is a "really good lad" deep down.

"It's a pity Arsenal could not get Suarez," Arteta told The Sun. "People don't know the real Luis.

"He's a really good lad. I know Suarez really well. He used to live in the next house to me and, whenever I've met him, he's always been really nice.

Arteta also praised the "character" shown by the Liverpool forward to return with such devastating effect after his lengthy suspension.

"He is a tremendous player and he has shown a lot of character to get back after getting criticised and on the front pages a lot," Arteta told the Daily Mirror. "He has gone on to produce some great performances and his goalscoring record is amazing.

"It was very difficult for him because he had a lot of people against him and he was under massive pressure.

Last summer, when everyone thought he was leaving, he still came back and put in some great performances. I like players like this. When they are on the floor and everyone is on them they stand up and prove themselves and I admire that."

Suarez missed months of action during his 10-game ban, incurred for biting the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, but Arteta sympathises with the forward after extensive criticism for his actions.

"I've seen a lot of things in my career, not only in matches but on the training ground against your own team-mates," the Spaniard added. "Everyone can lose it.

"I lost it once against Morten Gamst Pedersen. I poked his eye. Afterwards, I was like: 'What are you doing? This is stupid!' but you get upset, you get frustrated and you do some stuff. It's not right.

"He accepted it, he apologised and I think he did everything he had to do to try to learn from it in order to not do it again. Sometimes you do silly things in life. What you want to do is learn and not make them again."

After a tough summer on the transfer market, including their failed pursuit of Suarez, some pundits had backed Arsenal for a season of struggle but Arteta rejects the notion that such talk allowed the table-toppers to relax into their fine early form.

Read More»

Wenger : Arsenal had no doubts over Suarez morals

Arsene Wenger insists he had no doubts over Luis Suarez’s morals when he tried to bring the Liverpool striker to north London this summer.

Arsenal made two formal bids for the Uruguayan in the close-season as they attempted to lure the forward to the Emirates Stadium, despite the fact he was banned for 10 matches for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

However, Wenger has revealed that the did not hold concerns over Suarez’s temperament, even though he has also served previous bans for biting (in the Netherlands) and racial abuse.

"The player has been punished for what he did,” the Arsenal boss told reporters.

"We have high moral grounds and, of course, we take information about the moral level of the players and when there is any restriction about it, we do not buy the players.

"If some clubs were interested in buying him, it's because he played well before as well."

Wenger will come up against Suarez for the first time since bidding for him on Saturday as second-placed Liverpool visit the league leaders at the Emirates.

But the Frenchman did not reveal whether Arsenal will lodge any more bids for the 26-year-old in the future.

"I'm not focused on that now," he said. "Look, he plays for Liverpool tomorrow. At the moment, he is doing very well. What is important for me is the players who play for Arsenal, really, not those who could play for Arsenal.

"The details of all that [Arsenal's pursuit of Suarez] will maybe come out one day. Maybe not in my book! In somebody else's book."

After the Gunners' clash with Liverpool, Wenger's side face a tough test as they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United the following weekend.

Read More»