No matter who you ask, everyone has an opinion on the latest Luis Suarez drama. Although the Uruguayan denies biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini as La Celeste knocked Italy out of the World Cup at the Group Stage, the hefty ban FIFA handed down — which affects Liverpool more than anyone else — doesn’t look like it’s going to be up for discussion despite Uruguay’s intention to appeal on his behalf.
With the striker ruled out for four months and unable to enter a football stadium or even train with the team, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has given Reds boss Brendan Rodgers some unsolicited advice by suggesting that the Anfield outfit refuse the urge to sell the troubled striker and instead keep him on the books.
“If I were the Liverpool manager, there wouldn’t be a moment’s doubt about what to do next with Luis Suarez,” said Ferdinand. “I’d keep him.” The center half, who is no stranger to controversy after being banned for eight months following a missed drugs test during his time at Old Trafford, certainly thinks the good outweighs the bad when it comes to the Uruguayan. “Leave aside, just for a moment, questions of morality or whether his ban is long enough and what is going on is his head to make him do these extraordinarily bad things” he continued. “Purely and simply from a football perspective, what he does for you on the pitch — and I don’t mean biting people — makes him indispensable.
After long standing speculation linking Suarez with a move to Real Madrid began to quiet down, their Catalan rivals Barcelona have emerged as the new front-runners for his signature despite the lengthy ban ahead of him. Whether or not the Reds will fight to hang on to the clearly troubled genius remains to be seen, but Ferdinand thinks Rodgers will need his considerable talents for the coming campaign.
With a return to the Champions League about to make the fixture list a little more difficult, Rodgers could very well struggle to reach the heights of last season. “They had a brilliant 2013-14, pushing for the title when many people thought they might struggle to get into the top four” he mused. Although they didn’t win it they were superb, with Suarez the single most significant reason for that.”
