Monthly Archives: June 2013

Pereira: Suarez is a unique talent

The defender believes it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old hits top form at the Confederations Cup and has hailed his ability to change a game

EXCLUSIVE
By Kris Voakes in the Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

Alvaro Pereira has heaped praise on Luis Suarez following the Uruguay striker’s positive start to the Confederations Cup.

The Liverpool forward scored a free kick in the Celeste‘s 2-1 defeat to Spain before giving a lively performance in their victory over Nigeria on Thursday and the full-back says the 26-year-old can only get better.

“It was an important victory. Having lost the the first game we had to respond,” Pereira told Goal.

“[Suarez and Forlan] are very important players. They do things in these moments that are game-changing. We have done what we had to do to win though.

“In Uruguay, all of the boys are small in terms of stature and [Suarez] is the No.1 player in the country. There are not many players like him.

“He’s really pulling through for us now and we just hope he has a great Confederations Cup.”

Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, meanwhile, emphasised the importance of the three points gained from Uruguay’s win against the Super Eagles.

“The three points were the most important thing. That’s what we talked about before the game, that we just had to win however we did it, with good football or not,” the goalkeeper noted.

“We didn’t play a great game, but we are happy because we have taken three important points tonight.

“They are very, very important, because they can do something special, or score a goal.

“Diego [Forlan] had a chance and took it. These are moments that are key, and big players make the difference.”

Liverpool goalkeeper Reina tempted by ‘bigger club’

The Spanish shot-stopper has hinted that he would be willing to leave Brendan Rodgers’ side should an offer be forthcoming from a major club

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has once again cast doubt on his Anfield future by admitting he would be open to a move to a “bigger club”.
The Spain international, who has made 394 appearances for the Merseyside club since joining from Villarreal in 2005, has been linked with a move to former team Barcelona in recent months.

And although Reina stressed that he remains commited to Liverpool, he opened the door to a summer exit should the Anfield outfit receive an offer from an elite club.

“My situation is clear. I have three more years of my Liverpool contract — but I never say never,” Reina told Onda Cero.

“I’m very happy and satisfied at Liverpool.

“But of course if I’m given the chance to improve and go to a bigger club, and now there are a few bigger than Liverpool, I’m sure the club would understand.”

Reina, who came through Barcelona’s academy, kept 14 clean sheets last season as Liverpool finished seventh in the Premier League but failed to qualify for European competition.

Who is your top forward of the season?

Ahead of this year’s Goal 50, we want to know who you think was the best attacking player during the 2012-13 season

POLL

The latest Goal 50 for 2012-13 is fast approaching as we review the best players from all regions of the world over the previous season.

This is the sixth edition of the prize, which has previously been won by current holder Cristiano Ronaldo (twice), Barcelona star Lionel Messi (twice) and Wesley Sneijder in 2010.

As part of the build-up to this year’s gong, we are running a series of polls asking readers to vote for their own best players in each position for what should be an intriguing debate.

After moving through your selections for goalkeeper, defender and midfielder we now put forward a number of high-profile candidates who can lay claim to having been the best forward in the world game over the last 12 months.

The obvious candidates are Messi and Ronaldo, who again enjoyed sensational individual seasons for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. The Argentine scored 60 goals in 50 games, while his Portuguese rival netted 55 times in as many appearances.

However, they are rivalled by Mario Mandzukic and Robert Lewandowski, who both enjoyed prolific campaigns for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund en route to the Champions League final.

Radamel Falcao’s superb form for Atletico Madrid helped them to third place in La Liga and a Copa del Rey triumph before his move to Monaco, where he will come up against Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was influential in Paris Saint-Germain’s successful campaign to become champions of France.

Robin van Persie’s form after moving to Manchester United from Arsenal was exceptional, while Luis Suarez was another standout striker in the Premier League for Liverpool.

In Italy, Mario Balotelli enjoyed a great spell in front of goal after joining AC Milan from Manchester City, while Edinson Cavani was a prolific frontman for Napoli as they finished second in Serie A.

HAVE YOUR SAY

In total we have 20 forward players up for your vote to decide on the best midfielder for the 2012-13 season. Let us know your thoughts by voting in our poll and leaving your comments below. You can also get in touch via our Facebook and Twitter pages.