Suarez: Liverpool is home

Luis Suarez has reiterated his desire to remain at Liverpool for a 'very long time' and revealed how the city feels like home.

Luis Suarez took less than 5 mins to score his début goal for Liverpool two years ago. 

The 26-year-old celebrates two years as the club's No.7 today.



Since his transfer from Ajax in January 2011 he has scored 43 goals in 84 appearances and he is the Barclays Premier League's second top goalscorer this season with 17.



Suarez - who signed a new contract in the summer - is eager to keep scoring goals in a Liverpool shirt for many years to come.





"I hope [to be at Liverpool] for a very long time because it's a massive club that kids dream about playing for," the 60-times Uruguay international told Liverpoolfc.com.

On-Form Suarez, scored 21 goals in all competition his season 

"I've been very proud to be at a club like Liverpool and to have made the decision to come here. In two years I've lived through some spectacular and very special moments that I will never, ever forget.



"There have been a few difficult times as well, but with the support of my family, the club and the fans, things have gone well for me.



"I do feel at home here. When I'm out and about, all I get is support and encouragement from the local people and that's very important, and when I come here to the club I feel like people have known me all my life. That also helps a great deal to making me feel so at home.



"I hope to be able to help out the team for as long as I possibly can while trying do something to make the club and the fans very happy."



Suarez was born fourth of seven brothers and learned to play football on the streets of Uruguay's third most populous city, Salto, before moving to the capital Montevideo.



At the age of 11 he had to decline an offer to attend a national team training camp because he could not afford football boots, but he would go on to earn international recognition at U20, U23 and senior level.

Suarez celebrate after scoring at Emirates Stadium last night in draw game.

So how did his upbringing of street football prepare him for the Premier League?



"I don't know about that!" said Suarez. "It's a massive difference between street football in Uruguay and football in the Premier League.



"I think maybe I did pick up things playing in the street that maybe I wouldn't have learned playing on a proper pitch. They're different cultures and ways of life.



"It was a way of learning football that I do not regret for a minute. If anything, just the opposite. I'm grateful for all I learned there and I've got to where I am today partly thanks to all that."

Ayre stands by Suarez

Luis Suarez has the full support of Liverpool following the latest controversial incident involving the striker.



Suarez clearly handled the ball as he put Liverpool 2-0 up in the FA Cup third round win at Mansfield on Sunday but the goal was allowed to stand as officials concluded it was a deliberate offence.



Manager Brendan Rodgers jumped to the defence of his player and Ayre insists the club are fully behind the striker, who has come in for some undue criticism this season.



“There have been plenty of decisions which have gone against Luis this season,” Ayre told the Liverpool Echo.



“These things seem to follow Luis around and it’s unfortunate, but he has our full support.



“He’s a fantastic player who makes a huge contribution to the club. Knowing Luis, it won’t affect him as he’s a very strong character.”



Although Mansfield manager Paul Cox declared Suarez had done nothing wrong, chairman John Radford slammed the player for his actions, claiming he was embarrassed by the Uruguay international.



Ayre, however, was surprised by Radford’s comments especially after Cox’s statement.



“I was surprised when I read his comments because Mansfield’s manager and players showed a lot of dignity after the game,” he added. “It’s nonsense to say that I was embarrassed.”

Rodgers: Suarez is Liverpool’s Messi

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has placed Luis Suarez in the same class as Barcelona’s Lionel Messi following the Uruguay international's match-winning display against Sunderland.



After setting up Raheem Sterling's opener, the 25-year-old put two goals past the Black Cats on Wednesday night to seal all three points for the Merseyside outfit.



And Rodgers was liberal in his praise for the striker, suggesting that he can maintain his form through playing as many as three games a week, such is his talent.



"Luis was sensational [against Sunderland],” he told the Daily Mirror. “His cleverness in finding space is incredible.



"He's a striker that has to play two or three times a week to be on top of his game - one game a week is no good to him. He needs to be playing.



"And you see the response you get from him. His work has never dropped. Like Messi he is a real team player and trains every day.



“He is never in the treatment room and then he comes out and performs. As the ball moves he finds the spaces. He's a wonderful talent, and it will be fantastic to see him develop here."



QPR boss Harry Redknapp also echoed Rodgers’ comparison to Argentina international Messi after the London outfit’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool on December 30.



“I was talking with Harry Redknapp after our game at QPR,” Rodgers explained. “He said Luis is a Messi-type character,”



Adamant that a challenge for Champions League football is still possible, Rodgers has admitted a good run of results could build up enough momentum to propel the club into the prestigious top four come the campaign’s end.



"I believe the second half of the season we can up the tempo and kick on as we have always hoped to do.” he continued. “You could see it in our performance tonight [against Sunderland], we have the capacity to do that. It's about consistency from now, and I hope we can get that.



"We were disappointed with the performance against Stoke, but six goals and two clean sheets is the perfect reaction to that, and it's nine points from 12 over the difficult Christmas period."

Suarez hails ´hero´ Gerrard

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has praised Steven Gerrard and says the England midfielder was one of his heroes prior to his move to Anfield.



The controversial former Ajax star, who has already notched 11 goals in the English Premier League this season, had words of praise for Gerrard.



Suarez admits he enjoyed controlling Gerrard on the Playstation before joining the 32-year-old on Merseyside almost two years ago.



"It's hard to find words to describe what a great player Steven has been – and continues to be – for the club," Suarez told the club's website.



"It was only four years ago or so that I was playing on the Playstation and I was always Liverpool and to have him in my team was great. Now I'm playing alongside him – he was a hero."



Suarez also reiterated his commitment to the Anfield club, who are eighth in the Premier League after Saturday's 4-0 win over Fulham.



"I'm very, very happy here at the club, I couldn't be happier. Liverpool is a club I've always dreamt of playing at. It's like a dream for me," he said.

Premier League's top 10 dribblers

Dribbling has been described as an art form, as pace wingers and creative maestros slalom in between opposing players. The Premier League boasts some of the best dribblers and technicians in world football,Thanks to Opta, we bring to you the Premier League's top ten dribblers, in order of most dribbles completed (stats correct up to 13 December 2012).



Newcastle's slaloming Frenchman is top of the tree, completing over half of his attempted dribbles. Ben Arfa's impressive ability with the ball at his feet also sees him top the list as Europe's best dribbler so far this season.

Suarez has been Liverpool's talisman so far this season, finally finding his goal scoring boots with ten league goals. The Uruguyan is also leading the charts with the most attempted dribbles, however he has been pipped to top spot in terms of completed dribbles.

At joint third are Santi Cazorla is enjoying his brilliant debut seasons in the Premier League, with Cazorla showing just why he is one of Europe's top midfielders.

Raheem Sterling to become a "special talent" for Liverpool in the future, the wonder-kid justifies the hype surround his fledging talent.

West Ham's midfield enforcer come in at joint fifth, Diame joined West Ham from Wigan last summer for a fee of £5.5million.

QPR's Moroccan magician continues to impress despite they are still in search for a win.

QPR's Samba Diakite is arguably surprising entrants, He is very effective going forward, completing 30 dribbles this season.

Newcastle's Davide Santon is one of the most underrated player in Premier League with 30 dribbles completed this season.

Tottenham's understated powerhouse comes in at nine. Dembele has been a revelation since arriving in the Premier League, and has continued to impress since joining Tottenham earlier in the season.

At number ten is Chelsea's Belgian wizard Eden Hazard. The attacker has flourished since joining the European champions this summer and rightfully features in this list.

Suarez will lead Reds attack against Udinese

Liverpool travel to Udinese looking for the win to guarantee their place in the last 32 of the Europa League.

The Reds are currently second in the group and a win over Udinese, who are already out, will ensure their progression into the knockout stages.



A draw could be good enough if Young Boys fail to beat Anzhi, but a defeat in Italy will mean an early exit from Europe for Brendan Rodgers' side even if Young Boys also lose as as the Swiss side would be top of a three-way head-to-head involving the Reds and Udinese.



Rodgers has named a strong squad with Luis Suarez set to start as he is suspended for this weekend's Premier League clash with West Ham.



Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is missing through illness, while Daniel Agger and Lucas Leiva have been rested.



Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin could rest a number of his top stars as he looks to concentrate on Serie A.



If Antonio Di Natale plays he will equal Valerio Bertotto's Udinese record of 33 appearances in UEFA club competition.



Giampiero Pinzi is available again after injury as Udinese look to end a run of three straight defeats in the Europa League.

The squad in full is: Jones, Johnson, Enrique, Sahin, Suarez, Cole, Assaidi, Henderson, Coates, Downing, Carragher, Allen, Reina, Suso, Sterling, Shelvey, Coady, Skrtel, Wisdom.

Rodgers: Suarez going nowhere

Brendan Rodgers insists Liverpool have no intention of selling Luis Suarez in the January transfer window.

Speculation in Thursday's press suggested Manchester City have shown an interest in the Uruguay striker - but Rodgers is adamant he'll remain a Reds player.



The boss told reporters at Melwood: "He's certainly not someone we want to sell or move on. He has been a brilliant player to work with and we want to add to our squad - not take people out of it, especially a world-class player.



"We'll continue to work and stay focused on what we're trying to achieve. Luis has already shown in the summer his commitment to the club. He signed a new deal and you've seen up until this point, he's in a great moment in his footballing life here at Liverpool. He's scoring goals and working well.



"I'll just continue to communicate with all the players and Luis in particular. He is very, very happy here.



"There will be no bidding war. He is staying here."

Suarez in Manchester City shirt

Manchester City are keen to wrap up a £40m deal for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.



Brendan Rodgers claimed that Suarez was happy at Liverpool “at the moment” but hinted that unless the club improve their results, he might be tempted with a move elsewhere.

Liverpool are currently 13th in the league, possess a negative goal difference and are just three points away from 17th placed Aston Villa. Suarez has scored 8 of Liverpool’s 14 goals this season and couldn’t be blamed if he was keen to move to a club that could match his ability.



From my opinion I don't think Luis Suarez will leave Liverpool. He had the opportunity to move to other club in last summer but Suarez signed a new long term at Liverpool despite the abuse he get from other fans - Admin Pacheco x)



Brendan Rogers on Luis Suarez last week: “At this moment in time I’m safe in the knowledge that Luis had the chance to go in the summer. “There was probably no better time for him to do that with a new manager coming in.

"He could have had an excuse to go, but having spoken to him at length he committed to staying here. He gave us that opportunity to see how it was going to work. It’s up to us as a club to add players that can help support him and move us on.”

International round-up

Bafetimbi Gomis's second-half winner helped France clinch a 2-1 friendly victory against hosts Italy.

Two other European heavyweights, Netherlands and Germany, went head-to-head, but nothing could separate the bitter rivals in a goalless stalemate.

Montenegro moved top of England's World Cup qualifying group with a comfortable 3-0 victory against minnows San Marino.

And former England boss Fabio Capello watched his Russia side draw 2-2 against visitors USA in a friendly.

French end It

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli hit the crossbar for Italy with a long-range shot in the 10th minute before highly rated AC Milan forward Stephan El Shaarawi, who has scored eight Serie A goals this term, transferred his impressive form to the international stage by netting the opener in Parma.

The Azzurri's lead lasted barely two minutes, though, as Mathieu Vabuena equalised for France before Gomis converted Patrice Evra's pass.

Both Netherlands and Germany were missing key players for their clash in Amsterdam - and it resulted in a tame match with few chances.

Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus could have snatched an injury-time winner for the Germans, but blasted his shot over the bar.

Elsad Zverotic's second-half strike sealed Montenegro's win againstSan Marino after Andrija Delibasic netted a first-half brace.

Montenegro have earned 10 points from four Group H games, with second-placed England on eight after four matches.



Capello, who took over as Russia boss in the summer, extended his unbeaten run at the helm to six matches with the draw againstUSA.

Fedor Smolov and Roman Shirokov netted for the home side, but their strikes were cancelled out by American pair Michael Bradley and Mikkel Deskerud.

Argentina fielded Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria in their trip toSaudi Arabia - but the South Americans were still unable to break down their hosts in a goalless stalemate.

The match saw Messi reunited with Saudi boss Frank Rijkaard - the man who gave him his break in the Barcelona first team.

World and European champions Spain thrashed Panama 5-1 after goals from Pedro (2), David Villa, Sergio Ramos and Markel Susaeta.


Elsewhere, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez netted Uruguay's third as they won 3-1 in Poland, while ex-Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba scored inIvory Coast's 3-0 win against hosts Austria.

Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke put Belgium ahead in Romania,before the hosts turned the game around to win 2-1.

Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner, currently on loan at Juventus, putDenmark ahead from the spot in their 1-1 draw again

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Manchester City are considering a sensational January move for Luis Suarez, according to Dailymail.



- Manchester United are lining up a January move for Roma hotshot Erik Lamela after their summer bid was turned down, according to reports in Italy.



- Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is ready to bring Thomas Ince back to the Kop – just over a year after the 20-year-old was given away, according Dailymirror.



- Santos have revealed star striker Neymar, who has been linked with Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid, nearly joined Chelsea, with club president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro telling ESPN Brasil: "When I met the lawyers and his agent, it was almost certain he would be sold to Chelsea".



But he added: "I believe he will stay even beyond 2014."



- Tottenham and Newcastle have been put on red alert after Udinese midfielder Diego Fabbrini revealed he could leave the club in January.



- Chelsea, Tottenham and Inter Milan target Willian will not be allowed to leave Shakhtar Donetsk for anything less than £28million, according to the Ukrainian side's coach Mircea Lucescu.



- Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony says it would be a 'great honour' to join Chelsea and is not ruling out a January move to Stamford Bridge.



- Liverpool and Arsenal target Cristian Tello is still yet to sign a contract extension at Barcelona, according to talkSPORT.



- Blackpool youngster Thomas Ince, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, admits he is aware of speculation about his future, but insists he remains focused on playing for the Seasiders.



- Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's agent has denied an agreement has been reached with a Premier League club over the transfer of the Schalke striker.



- Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has emerged as a target for Roma and Zenit St. Petersburg, according to Izvestia.



- Real Madrid could be ready to join Arsenal in the race to sign Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha, according to the Daily Mirror.



- West Ham are hoping to step up their interest in Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric as a deal to sign former Chelsea forward Nicolas Anelka looks unlikely to happen, according to talkSPORT.



- Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has brushed off speculation linking him with Premier League champions Manchester City.



- Everton want to sign teenage striker M'Baye Niang on loan from AC Milan but the Serie A club have ruled out a move, according to his agent.



- Wolves have taken up the option to sign midfielder Tongo Doumbia from Rennes on a permanent basis.



- Atletico Madrid striker Falcao is not ruling out an overseas move when the time is right amid ongoing speculation linking him with the Premier League.



- Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder's agent has cooled speculation suggesting his client could leave the club for Anzhi Makhachkala.



- Midfielder Joey Barton has insisted that he has a lot of respect for his team-mates and would like to remain at Marseille.

Cech: Suarez is not a cheat

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has leapt to the defence of Luis Suarez, claiming the Liverpool striker has an unfair reputation as a diver.



Suarez has frequently been criticised by rival managers for going to ground too easily, but Cech believes the Uruguay international deserves credit for his performance during Sunday's 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.



Suarez threatened to snatch a late winner for Liverpool but the keeper praised Suarez for staying on his feet when he could have tried to win a penalty.



"We should give Suarez credit because when we had a one- versus-one, he didn't try to cheat and jump or dive, and that was a fair thing for him to do," Cech said in the Sun.



"We all know how dangerous he is in the box. He's a natural goalscorer, always in the right place to tap the ball in. It's a gift not everyone has. He is on fire this season in terms of scoring goals and, unfortunately, he had the chance to keep that run going on Sunday."



Suarez appeared to push Ramires before nodding in a second-half equaliser to earn a point for Liverpool but Cech says Chelsea can have no complaints as they should have killed off the game earlier.



"Suarez is a clever player and he did it in a moment when the referee and his assistant couldn't have seen it," Cech said. "I don't know how much of a push there was by Suarez but we should have been 3-0 up and we shouldn't be discussing the incident."



Having failed to keep a single clean sheet in his last eight Chelsea games, Cech is hoping to stop leaking goals to ensure his side remain in the title race after the Blues picked up just two points from their last three Premier League games.



"Every single point matters when you want to win the league and even goal difference can be decisive," Cech said. "It is looking like the title race is going to be between three teams this season and we have lost valuable points in our last three games against United, Swansea and now Liverpool.



"Sometimes I would like more clean sheets but the most important thing is to win so, even if it finishes 5-4, I can live with it. Winning 5-4 is better than drawing 0-0 but if you don't keep clean sheets you always have to score more than one."

Stevie: Suarez is sensational

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard believes Luis Suarez is the best striker he has played alongside, and would love to see Xabi Alonso back at Anfield.



Gerrard, in a Twitter question and answer session for sponsors adidas, picked Suarez ahead of the likes of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen and Fernando Torres - all great goalscorers at Anfield - and England team-mate Wayne Rooney.



Asked who is the greatest striker he had played with Gerrard opted for Suarez, who has scored seven of Liverpool's 13 Premier League goals this season and produced a wonder strike against Newcastle on Sunday.



Gerrard also singled out the Uruguay international as the player who messes about most in training - "He's a nuisance!" wrote the 32-year-old.



The Reds captain also revealed, given the opportunity, he would jump at the chance to bring Alonso back to the club.



"Xabi Alonso - best midfielder I've played with, I miss playing with him," he wrote.



The feeling appears to be mutual with the Real Madrid midfielder confident Gerrard, who marked his 600th match for Liverpool at the weekend, would slot seamlessly into Spain's World Cup and European Championship-winning side.



"Absolutely, there's no doubt," said Alonso.



"He could play in any national team in the world because he has so many great qualities.



"He is flexible. He can play at the English pace or he can associate with the ball very well.



"He is a very intelligent player, so he could play anywhere - not just any national team but any club in the world.



"But he has been a one-club man and that's something I really admire."



Alonso believe Gerrard had a significant impact on his career, having moved to Merseyside from Real Sociedad in 2004.



"He was a great influence to me," he told Real Madrid TV in an interview on behalf of Liverpoolfc.com.



"When I arrived at Liverpool, I was 22 and he was the captain, he was the main man at the club.



"For me, he was a reference, the way he behaved with his team-mates and with the supporters as well.



"I learned a lot from him. We are great friends and we still keep in touch.



"He is so inspirational. In the key moments, he has that different thing, that spark that is difficult to define.



"He'll absolutely be remembered as one of the greats. For me he is already one of the greats."



Gerrard and Suarez seem unlikely to make Thursday's Europa League trip to face big-spending Anzi Makhachkala in Moscow.



Although victory in the Russian capital would strengthen the Reds' position at the top of Group A, manager Brendan Rodgers has one eye on Sunday's trip to Chelsea and with Suarez as his only fit senior striker he does not want to risk him.



It means he is likely to field a much-changed side from the one which drew with Newcastle.