Brendan Rodgers is ready to hand Luis Suárez a new role in Liverpool’s attack after Daniel Sturridge’s outstanding early-season form convinced him that the England international deserves an extended run as first-choice striker. Sturridge has scored ten goals in eight games in the period since Suárez was banned for ten matches after biting Branislav Ivanovic, the Chelsea defender, and Rodgers believes that the 24-year-old is benefiting from a long run in his favoured position. Suárez is due to make his comeback in Liverpool’s Capital One Cup tie away to Manchester United on September 25, but he will do so in the knowledge that he is now more likely to be deployed in support of Sturridge rather than as an out-and-out front man. Rodgers envisages Suárez playing from the wide areas, a role he filled at Ajax, in a fluid first-choice attack that will also feature Philippe Coutinho and Victor Moses, who joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day. Given Suárez’s unsuccessful attempts to force a transfer over the summer, it would be easy to see Rodgers’s tactical blueprint as a snub for the Uruguay player. The Liverpool manager, though, had been looking to implement the change in approach before Suárez tried to engineer a move to Arsenal. Relations between the pair have improved significantly in recent weeks after Suárez informed Rodgers that he could depend on his total commitment during clear-the-air talks before the start of the season. #joe
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 07:08:20 +0000
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