1 Year on from Barcelona Transfer, Liverpool Have to Move on from Luis Suarez
It’s pretty clear who won the breakup.
As Luis Suarez was parading the Champions League trophy around Berlin in June, Liverpool were still licking their wounds from a 6-1 defeat; they had an under-pressure manager and their brightest young talent wanted out. It’s now more than a month later and nothing has changed.
It’s also a year to the day since a statement on the Reds website confirmed Suarez was Barcelona-bound. A three-and-a-half year relationship full of passion, drama and no little tumult was ending before our eyes. Liverpool may have thought only they understood Suarez, but there was a more attractive option elsewhere. Eyelashes were fluttered and the Uruguayan fell into Catalan arms.
Dumped, there were now two options Liverpool could choose from.
They could get themselves back out there, put a brave face on it and carry on regardless, or they could come to resemble the Crazy Cat Lady in The Simpsons, a dishevelled figure surrounding themselves with companions in a bid to make up for their lost love.
Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and others were the “plenty more fish in the sea,” but Suarez has forever remained Liverpool’s deadliest catch they have been unable to replicate.
Because players like him don’t come along all too often, and it is about time that the Reds understand that. Instead of pining for the Uruguayan, manager Brendan Rodgers simply has to find a way to get his team ticking without their formerly ticking time bomb if he is going to last much longer in the Anfield dugout.
He was able to do just that between mid-December and most of March last season, when a new formation was designed to get the best out of majorly Philippe Coutinho and minorly Lallana, who thrived in roles behind centre-forward Raheem Sterling.
In signing Roberto Firmino this summer Rodgers would appear to have brought in another player who can make a crucial difference in those areas, but it is vital the manager cultivates a system in which the Brazilian can thrive if he’s going to have a smooth transition into English football.
Perhaps he’ll end up being the Suarez-like figure supporters fall in love with after all, but those supporters would be wise not to put too much pressure on the Brazilian from the very beginning. As they should know, there are only a few players who can dream of being as good as Suarez, and Firmino isn’t there yet.
What is more crucial at this stage is the notion of the team, however, and of Rodgers restoring order following a 2014/15 through which Liverpool sleepwalked.
A fully fit Daniel Sturridge will help matters—and it is to be hoped Liverpool’s forgotten man returns fitter and stronger from his hip injury—but talk of signing a “Suarez-type” forward to partner him all seems a little pie in the sky. Who do Liverpool get? Who’ll want to go there?
The club remain one of the biggest in the world, but as the ugly Sterling situation is making oh so clear, there are more attractive destinations at the moment.
Surely what’s better would be to remove all memories of Suarez and trust in the manager’s ability to get in right in another way? Rodgers hinted at it last season, and a pre-season revamping of that formation to include a back four instead of an easily attackable three would be a good start.
The signings of Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner and Firmino have added three guaranteed starters to the team, and the options elsewhere are beginning to slot into place.
With the assumption that Divock Origi and Danny Ings have arrived to provide backup, that just leaves another forward to add and then Liverpool would seemingly be ready to go into battle.
Whatever “type” of forward that turns out to be, he’ll be inevitably compared to Suarez as memories of a previous relationship are rekindled.
But Liverpool need to get over losing the Uruguayan, get dressed up for the new campaign and get out there again.
Rivals have moved on while they’ve been pining for their lost love, and if they’re not caught up with quickly, then they might never be.
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