A Tale Of Two Strikers: Robin Van Persie vs Luis Suarez

Van Persie! screamed the commentators as he scored right at the death to hand United a replay against West Ham. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the Dutchman is in GOD mode. His consistency sends shivers down the spine of defenders. He, along with the superb supply line from the United midfield, has taken goal scoring to a whole new level.

League stats this season

Robin van Persie

Apps – 18 (3)Goals 16Yellows 5Reds 0Goals per Game – 0.76Goals Left – 10Goals Right – 6Goals Head – 1Penalties – 2Hat-tricks – 1Assists – 9Shots – 69Crosses – 30Offside – 17

Arsene Wenger has backed his former striker to fire United to another Premiership title. With 16 goals already in the league this season, I can safely say that Van Persie is, at the moment, the most feared striker in the world after Falcao. I wouldn’t bet against Van Persie scoring this Sunday. Watch out for this world class player because he might be having some epic story in his mind. Another injury-time winner perhaps?

RVP has been making headlines for all the right reasons. He has made it his habit. Suarez’s story, on the other hand, is a bit different.

Controversy a fuel for Suarez?

Alex Ferguson has described Suarez as “a lad laden with controversies.” I concur. Last time when Suarez was on the field, he scored a goal with his hand to hand Liverpool a victory in the FA Cup third round. People called him a cheat, again!

Brendan Rodgers has backed his No. 7 by saying that he wouldn’t swap Suarez for Van Persie.

Suarez is surely not a saint, but he is not a cheat. He is a beast. A warrior.

I don’t want to argue whether it was right or wrong. The bottom line is, Suarez is a world class player. And he is going to create all sorts of problems for United’s defense this Sunday.

There have been many occasions when decisions have gone against Suarez. So in the end, it all evens out.

Luis Suarez has improved his conversion ratio this season with 15 goals in 20 appearances in the league this season. Only Van Persie has scored more goals than Uruguayan star. Let’s look at Suarez’s stats this season -

Apps – 20 (0)Goals – 15Yellows – 7Reds – 0.Goals per Game – 0.75Goals left foot – 3Goals right foot – 10Headers – 2Penalties – 0Hat-tricks – 1Assists – 5Shots – 109Crosses – 2Offside – 16

Clearly, those are impressive.

They both are very different players but world class players. If United are to win title this season, Van Perise will have to play a major role. Similarly, Liverpool’s top 4 aspirations depend upon Suarez’s form and fitness.

It’s going to be a tale of two strikers.

Who’s the better player? Who’s going to win the Golden boot? The prospects are mouth watering. We’ll have to wait and see but I promise you an epic contest.