Luis Suarez was oh so close to moving away from Liverpool in 2013. Real Madrid were the main suitors, and turning down the Spanish giants is some feat. But the Uruguayan managed it, and also evaded the clutches of Arsenal and that extra £1. He played at Anfield in 2013/14 season, and as a Premier League fan, I thank my lucky stars that he did.
Suarez started the campaign in shady circumstances, to say the least. He had been handed a 10-match man the previous season for biting a chunk of Branislav Ivanovic’s arm. Six games of that ban were to be served in the next season, and hence Suarez took to the field belatedly. That ban almost seemed to give him extra motivation.
“I love Liverpool, but I suffered too much as a kid to get where I am to be attacked unfairly by the English press. I made a mistake, I’m human, my family has suffered and things got out of hand,” he had said. “My daughter and my wife have suffered. I’m not prepared to continue to put up with the English press.”
Suarez’s first appearance of the season came in a League Cup game against Manchester United. Liverpool lost that day, but Suarez was just getting started. Prior to Christmas, he played 12 league games, scoring 19 goals in the process. The ratio was a dizzying one, and he was terrorizing defences all around. One of the many highlights came against Norwich City when Suarez netted four. Each of those goals was a sight to behold. Watch the clip, you will want to give Norwich keeper John Ruddy a hug.
Goals aside, his partnership with Daniel Sturridge was really coming to the fore. Suarez recorded 12 assists in the whole campaign. The chemistry with Sturridge was conducive, and the England international scored 21 league goals himself in the season. Suarez’s form petered down after Christmas, but he was still vital as ever to Liverpool’s play.
He netted at Old Trafford in a 3-0 win, before scoring his second hattrick of the season against Cardiff City. Liverpool’s title charge was gathering momentum, and then came the calamitous game at Anfield against Chelsea. That was followed by capitulation at Selhurst Park, and Manchester City raced away to claim the title.
Despite his side’s failure to capture the main prize, Suarez’s season does not fail to astonish on an individual level. He scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League games and supplied 12 assists as well. He became just the seventh player to score 30 or more in a single Premier League season. The majority of those goals came under the ‘breathtaking’ category, and his overall play was a joy to watch.
A clean sweep of individual awards followed for the Uruguayan. He claimed the PFA Player of the Year, Football Writers’ Player of the Year and Barclays Fans’ Player of the Year that season. Suarez moved to Barcelona after that campaign, where he has been hugely successful. But his fabled last Premier League campaign was a historic one and will be recollected for years to come.
