Brendan Rodgers described Luis Suarezs display in Liverpools 5-1 demolition of Norwich City as sheer brilliance - but insisted the Uruguayan can still get even better. Suarez left the Kop in awe of a first-half hat-trick which propelled him into the history books, before adding a fourth as the Canaries were swept aside at Anfield. He lobbed John Ruddy from 40 yards, pounced from close-range and hammered home a third before curling a trademark free-kick in the second half to cap a masterful display. Afterwards, Rodgers said: The headlines are simple - that was just sheer brilliance. It was a joy for me to watch the team tonight, tactically we were very good. It was a remarkable individual performance. I always like to talk about the team but youve got to hold Luis up tonight as one of the best strikers in the world. It was an incredible performance. If you put him out on the pitch, you know youre going to get determination and the will and the desire to succeed, which is important, but the quality of his finishing is just at a really high level - and none more so than tonight. The repertoire he showed was incredible really. I felt for the Norwich defenders, because if you come up against someone like that who is a top, world-class payer, its very difficult to contain him. I think if you look at Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - those two have been out on their own for a few years. But Luis is still only 26 and I really think hes going to make improvements to his game over the coming years. We do a lot of work and we talk about the improvements in his game and how he can improve. Rodgers believes Suarez is thriving at Anfield due to the strong bond he has forged with the Liverpool supporters and the fact that the team are set up to allow the Uruguayan to flourish. You look at Suarez and the goals that he scores, and the assist that he made tonight, its a pleasure, said the boss. Hes probably the happiest hes been here. I look at him every day in training; he wants to train and everyone knows he flies all around the world. I think this club suits him perfectly and I still think his best years are going to be here. The profile of the club and the connection with the supporters, Anfield here itself - you can see its a hand-in-glove fit for him. And the type of football were trying to play and produce allows him to operate in those spaces that we create by moving the ball about. But youve still got to be there to finish it off and that must have been a joy for people to watch. While Rodgers was happy for Suarez to take the headlines, he still reserved praise for the players who supplemented the No.7s stunning performance. Coutinho was brilliant, he said. I thought he was a playmaker and he was outstanding. He had that confidence on the ball and that arrogance on the ball. We put our technicians in the team tonight to control and dominate the ball and they all did that very well. Those who witnessed the Uruguayans stunning array of strikes tonight will each have their own particular favourite - but which one did Rodgers consider the best? Initially, I thought the first one was the best, came the managers response. It was probably reminiscent of the one he scored a couple of years ago [at Carrow Road]. The vision and to actually hit it with that dip to get it over the keeper was outstanding. Then his second goal was a great bit of improvisation to get in front of the defender and sweep it in. But then I watched the third goal again - and you look at that and you think, goodness me what a goal that was. The free-kick doesnt surprise me because he practises that every week. We do certain set-plays and him and Stevie go off on their own and work on that. And you see his ability and the power he hits it with, so it didnt surprise me. I think you could toss a coin between the first and third. The rout was a perfect riposte to a disappointing 3-1 loss against Hull on Sunday - and Rodgers believes the weekends defeat was a timely reminder that the Reds cannot allow standards to slip. I think we got a tap on the shoulder at the weekend, he said. The Barclays Premier League is a league where a few years ago, the top teams could maybe win at 75 per cent and just get through the game, win the game and get themselves ready for the next game. You cant do that anymore. This is a level now where all the teams are strong, a lot of the teams invest and its a very, very competitive league. Were not good enough yet to play at 70-75 per cent - we have to be totally focused on our game. In fairness to the players, I give them great credit because for a period of time over this calendar year, weve been that. But that [Hull] was a reminder for us that if we only have a few playing to their capacity and the rest arent pressing, working or having that hunger, you can still lose to anyone. That was the reminder we had. We just have to be professional in our attitude and go and perform, and thankfully here at Anfield were starting to do that.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 23:31:08 +0000
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