Luis Suarez: Time for Liverpool to make tough choices

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A brilliant yet flawed player, a genius with a knack for doing crazy things – what else can one call Luis Suarez?

After all, he’s a player who treads a very thin line between brilliance and sheer stupidity. There have been numerous occasions where he has veered into the world of absolute insanity; last night was just one of what has now become numerous such incidents.

No matter how good a player you consider him to be, no one can deny that his attempt to bite Ivanovic went a little too far, into a whole other realm of craziness. Be it the racism issue or his admitting that he dived to win a penalty or his lewd gestures to fans or trying to recreate the “hand of god’ to save his team or help score a goal, Suarez is no novice to controversies, but what he did last night should be the last straw for both the club and the fans.

We may joke and find what happened humorous, but the harsh reality is that what happened on the pitch was both shocking and appalling. The possible motivation for him to do something so extraordinary, for the second time in his career, is unfathomable. What on earth could make you want to bite another person? Neither was he provoked or agitated by Ivanovic in the lead-up to the biting, and how an innocuous tussle between a striker and defender led to what happened, is both incomprehensible and worrisome!

For a club that is so proud of their history and heritage, Luis Suarez has proven to be a double-edged sword. The last two seasons have seen him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and he has proven to be a PR disaster for Liverpool. But despite all his antics, the club have always staunchly defended him, even while taking a barrage of criticism from the media and opposition fans alike.

Unfortunately, Suarez’s actions not only let down his club, but also the millions of scousers who have always loyally backed him against all odds.

Already nominated for the PFA player of the year award, and a favourite to win it, Suarez’s season so far has been nothing but exceptional. He was finally starting to make the headlines for all the right reasons as he dribbled, jinked, feinted and occasionally dived past defenses to help keep a struggling Liverpool team afloat with a personal tally of 23 goals. He was finally showing his true potential on the pitch, as he made even the most well organized defenses look below average. This was a manwho was on course to win the Golden Boot and surely make the Team of the Year too. People were finally starting to talk about his football, rather than the usual antics.

But it just took a moment of stupidity for him to wash away a season’s worth of good work. What he did was inexcusable not only because it was so serious, but also because it was not the first time he did it. He had bitten PSV midfielder Otman Bakkal during a match while at Ajax, which led to him being nicknamed “The Cannibal” by the Dutch media and also earned him a seven-match ban. He moved to Liverpool just a few months later, and now 2 years later, we seem to be back to square one.

The incident was more than just indiscipline from a player, and considering this wasn’t the first time he did it, the odds are that it won’t be the last. As Graeme Souness said after the game, it’s time Liverpool realize that despite his importance to the team, the club is bigger than any one individual player, especially one who has brought them so much trouble since his arrival.

He may have blamed the biased media and the manipulative powers of Manchester United for maligning him during the Evra incident, but his reprehensible actions were caught on camera during a match that was televised live in front of millions of fans around the world. Personally, I feel Suarez needs help, because what he did was not out of anger – like the incidents with Cantona or Keane, where what they needed was anger management – while Suarez really needs a psychologist.

Liverpool have a very tough decision on their hands, especially considering how pivotal Suarez is to their future plans. But then his actions are not only tainting his own name but also the reputation of a great footballing institution with a tremendous history; something that neither the club or its fans deserve.

Like the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me..

Let’s just hope the club makes sure that there won’t be a third time.

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Edited by Staff Editor
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