Suarez: Liverpool have slight chance of top four
Reuters - Friday 08 March 2013, 13:39
Liverpool's
pursuit of a top-four Premier League finish this season can really take
off with a win against third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday,
according to red-hot striker Luis Suarez.
Liverpool,
in seventh, are 10 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and 12 in
arrears of Spurs with 10 games to go in another mediocre season where
Suarez's goalscoring has been the highlight.
The
Uruguayan scored a hat-trick in his last outing against Wigan Athletic
despite carrying an injury that manager Brendan Rodgers said would have
forced "nine out of 10" players out of the game.
"We've
been in good form recently and it's a good opportunity to reduce the
gap between ourselves and Spurs," said Suarez, who with 21 goals leads
the Premier League scoring charts by two from Manchester United's Robin
van Persie.
"There is a
slight chance we can make Champions League football - and if we want to
do that, this is the sort of game we need to win," added Suarez on the
club's website ahead of the clash at
Anfield.
Liverpool last
played in the Champions League in the 2009/10 season after memorably
winning the trophy in 2005 and then making the 2007 final.
Suarez
said Liverpool's performances have improved after bolstering the squad
in January with attacking options in Daniel Sturridge and Philippe
Coutinho.
Liverpool have scored nine goals without conceding in drubbing Swansea and Wigan in their last two league games.
"Things
have been going really well with Daniel, but not only him - there's
also Philippe. They have both brought something and maybe given us an
extra cutting edge.
"The lads who were here before their arrival were doing a fantastic job, but now we have more options as a team."
REMARKABLE MAN
Rodgers
paid tribute to Suarez for keeping the team in the hunt for European
places while stating that Liverpool's form is up there with the best in
the league.
"He's a
remarkable man. I've been asked before about the player of the year
award - if we're talking about football, this is a guy that has
consistently done it this season," said the manager.
"What
I've also admired from close hand is that this is a guy who is also
trying to change. He's trying to turn around his life and adapt to the
culture, and you can clearly see that. He's incredible to work with."
Rodgers
said based on Liverpool's last 14 games their points haul would put
them third in the league compared to their first 14 fixtures, when they
were languishing in 12th.
"The
tipping point now is that it's going more for us than against us. We've
played a lot of really good games this season and maybe weren't as
cohesively good then as we are now."