‘You’re nothing without me!’
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Barcelona forward Luis Suarez doesn’t think Liverpool would have done nearly as well in 2013/14 had it not been for his own phenomenal form, reports the Telegraph.
The maverick Uruguayan forward was jaw-droppingly good for Brendan Rodgers’ dynamic outfit, scoring 31 top flight goals, firing them to within inches of the Premier League title, and winning the Player of the Year award to boot.
However, following a hugely publicised bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, Suarez forced a mega £75m move to Barcelona, making him the third most expensive footballer of all time.
Liverpool have badly struggled without their talisman, losing to Manchester City, Aston Villa and West Ham already in the Premier League.
“Personal success is always welcome and makes you happy, because that’s recognition of the good work you have done,” Suarez began.
“But I put the team ahead of that and last season Liverpool came so close to winning the Premier League, which would have been spectacular.”
“I appreciate all the work the team did but I missed six matches and scored all those goals in the Premier League without being the penalty-taker,” the 27-year-old told fcbarcelona.com.
“The truth is that I left very happy because if I hadn’t had the attitude and mentality to want to lead the team forward, I don’t think Liverpool would have done as well as they did either.
“Getting back into the Champions League was another target I had in mind.”
Although Suarez’s words will likely hurt Liverpool’s current squad and the Anfield faithful, few would argue with the sentiment.
The South American topped the Premier League goals and assists charts last term, like he said, without taking penalties, which is a truly exceptional feat.
His £16m replacement Mario Balotelli has failed to score a Premier League goal, while Rickie Lambert has looked similarly uninspiring during his time on the pitch.