Reds teammates clash over head tennis row.
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Liverpool duo Luis Suarez and Martin Skrtel appeared to be involved in a bust-up in training on Friday, report the Daily Mail.
It is claimed that the pair had to be split up by teammates after almost coming to blows following a row over a game of head tennis.
Suarez apparently became frustrated with Skrtel when the Slovakian defender used his arm to control the ball.
The Uruguayan international is said to have accused Skrtel of not taking the drill seriously, before lashing out at him.
Luis Suarez and Martin Skrtel appear to come to blows at Liverpool training http://t.co/jkt55wVt88 pic.twitter.com/1A9bUu0FC9
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) April 26, 2014
Suarez and Skrtel will have to be their spat behind them quickly, as both are expected to start in this afternoon’s top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea at Anfield.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers recently said that Suarez had matured as a person since biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April last year.
Suarez sank his teeth into Ivanovic’s arm during the second half of a 2-2 draw at Anfield and, although he escaped a red card at the time, he was subsequently hit with a 10-game ban.
He has been in inspired form since returning from that hefty suspension and has netted 30 goals in 30 Premier League appearances.
His disciplinary record has also improved and he has only collected five yellow cards this season – seven fewer than Ivanovic.
Suarez and Ivanovic are likely to meet again today, but Rodgers is not worried by thoughts of Suarez repeating his nibbling naughtiness, as he is convinced that his star striker has grown up a lot over the last 12 months.
Rodgers told Sky Sports: “He is a brilliant talent. I think the supporters have seen him mature over the course of the last season.
“I think he was in a real low moment after that game, but he has gone away and probably looked in the mirror and reflected on himself because he is not that type of guy and it probably just spilled over.
“He is a really intelligent man who fits the values of this club, which is all about humility, class and he has all of that.
“He is a sheer winner and that probably overspilled last year, but his development over the last year has been remarkable both on and off the field and Liverpool have benefited from that.
“For me he is the consistently outstanding player over the course of the last year.”
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