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Says that Champions League qualification does not depend on him staying and being happy. Which is perfectly true. He's definitely gone in the summer.Originally posted by Leyton388 View Post
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I met the real Luis Suarez... and he was a thoroughly nice chap
The new issue of FourFourTwo - available from March 5 in print and specially-designed-for-iPad - features an interview with one of the game's finest players. FFT's Andrew Murray tells the story of his afternoon with Liverpool's Luis Suarez...
Luis Suarez sits down at his desk. He looks to his right and gives his work colleague a nudge on the shoulder. Then, Suarez flicks his bearded companion’s keyboard out of reach, returning to bash out a few words on his own computer with impish glee. Seconds later, he repeats the trick.
No, we haven’t stepped into some parallel universe where arguably the Premier League’s best player works for a bank – nothing wrong with that, of course, I hear the bonuses are excellent – this is an advert for Uruguayan company Abitab.
Suarez shouts at his co-workers for failing to refill the coffee machine, falls to the ground after being tapped on the shoulder and generally sends up his competitive nature for a minute’s tongue-in-cheek laughs. Released at the height of last summer’s ‘will-he-won’t-he’ transfer saga involving Arsenal, it was largely missed by the press at the time.
He comes across as a nice guy, self-aware, even, when it comes to his own character flaws. And this is the Luis Suarez that I meet at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground on a grey February morning, first spotting him signing autographs for excited fans at the front gate. By the time he’s sat in front of us for the first part of our interview a few minutes later – the second, and pictures for the cover, will be done after training – he’s still smiling and remarkably open.
I’d interviewed him once before for FFT, in early February 2011, just after he’d arrived on Merseyside. Mumbling in Uruguayan-inflected Spanish – certain consonants aren’t pronounced, others merge into one incomprehensible mesh – the 24-year-old had seemed tense, even shy.
Given the controversies that have surrounded Suarez in the three years since, I was worried he would be closed off, difficult to talk to and wouldn’t give us the cover story we wanted. That he was bright, open and searingly honest was the most welcome of surprises. He was contemplative on some topics – sipping on his pre-training mate, a herbal tea delicacy from Uruguay, as he paused for thought – but that only makes for a better piece. The more an interviewee has to think, the better the answer.
Evra, Ivanovic, diving, that transfer saga: no subject was off limits.
Ultimately, when you ask Luis Suarez a question, he’ll answer it. It may not be what you expect him to say, but it’s the way he’s feeling in that moment. You also might not agree with what he says, but for the first time, you should understand his reaction to every controversy in which he’s become embroiled.
You should appreciate, too, his lighter side. The on-field scuttler, who openly admits to embarrassment at doing anything to get ahead on the pitch, is a completely different beast off it.
In the 25 minutes reserved for photos with FFT’s photographer extraordinaire Shamil Tanna, he refuses not a single pose, excitably enquiring “oh is this for the cover? When’s it out?” Finger on lips, hand over mouth, a beaming smile and gaze into the ether are all attempted. The latter involves Suarez looking sultrily at me, just to the left of camera to help him focus on a specific point, before we both dissolve into fits of laughter at what we’re doing. “This is ridiculous, mate, isn’t it?!” he chortles.
The cover we capture is a cracker. Luis shouts his lungs out for Sham over a series of five minutes, and he nails the shot that sits on this month’s issue, Suarez’s eyes staring straight at the camera, his face contorted with effort. Catching a quick glimpse of the pic on the laptop that sits to the side of our setup in Liverpool’s indoor training pitch, he likes what he sees. “That was a good one!”
During the training session sandwiched between that shoot and our pair of interviews with the Premier League’s leading scorer – his 24th of the season coming last Saturday evening at Southampton to end a run of five games without a goal – Suarez had delivered a free-kick masterclass.
In the main session, he’d been only on the periphery, but in staying behind for extra practice he sparked into life. It’s only when you see Suarez in this natural habitat that you realise quite how good the best of the best are.
The free-kick is a closed skill, not dependant on any external factors. If you’re good enough, and can repeat the same action, then you can score with virtually every shot. That’s what Suarez did. Witnessing a professional athlete, seemingly at the peak of his powers, in such close proximity is a rarity.
“Nobody in England knows the real Luis Suarez,” he had said to end our first of two chats. Well, if you want to know him, then don’t just take my word that this is a self-aware family man who’s a different beast off the pitch - pick up this month’s FFT. You won’t regret it.
Last edited by Shaggy; 05-03-14, 02:19 PM.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’
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Thiago Alcantara before RonaldoOriginally posted by Muddled View PostI can't see Yaya 'best all-rounder footballer in the world' 'best all round footballer in the world' Toure in that list?
, say no more. Stopped reading after that.
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What’s Didi’s craic these days? Nearly every article or interview I see these days is predominately negative from him.Indiscretions should have seen Reds ditch Suarez says former midfielder
Paul Hyland – 13 March 2014 03:30 PM
BRENDAN RODGERS has a big job on his hands to keep Luis Suarez happy but if Didi Hamann was in the Anfield hotseat, Liverpool's top striker would have been sold on.
"I wasn't too sure if they should keep him. Liverpool is a global brand and he damaged the brand on a number of occasions. There is no doubting his talent and it certainly helped that he started scoring goals for fun. He scored 20 goals in 14 or 15 games which hasn't been done before.
"At the same time, moving forward, you have to see what will happen. If you believe what's in the paper there is a clause in his contract so there is no guarantee he will be there.
"The other thing I see, because he played wider a few times, he scored 11 goals in eight games when Sturridge was out and since he's come back he's scored two in seven or eight playing on the left. How long is he going to do that?
"Yes, he is playing for the team and the team is winning but the centre forward has to score goals.
"But don't forget they played okay when he was out; I think they got 13 points from five games when he was suspended. Brendan has a job on his hands to keep them all happy. If he had to go I think Liverpool will be fine. They have the financial ammunition now to bring a few players in."
Like most former Liverpool men, he is hedging his bets on whether Rodgers' team has a chance of winning the Premier League title.
"They have a chance but I wouldn't have said it at the start of the season. Seven points off with a game in hand," he said.
"I always said if they finish top four they'll have had a terrific season but now it's more or less guaranteed.
Dismantle
"They play Chelsea and City at home so you have to give them a chance the way they score goals and dismantle teams. I still think the other two are more likely winners but with 10 or 11 games to go, you have to give them a chance."
For Hamann, the key to Liverpool's success is the job Rodgers has done so far.
"Huge. The manager gets the blame when things don't go well so they deserve the credit when they do go well. I think he has done a very good job.
"The first step is getting into the Champions League. This is where the club should play year in, year out but there'll be different demands as a lot of the players won't have played in the Champions League for four or five years."
If we are all only happy when we are really winning in the end, when your race finishes, what life would that be?
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