Suarez has pulled off one of the hardest things a great player can ever do: leave a great, proud club for an even better one, and still have the old fan base like him.
Sure, there was some bad blood in the immediate aftermath of his departure from Liverpool, but now, a year on, it’s hard to say that many Liverpool fans dislike the man. Whenever he comes up in conversation, thoughts usually turn to all of the ridiculously amazing things he did for the club, not bitterness.
That feeling of nostalgia and love apparently goes both ways, as Luis Suarez has named ex-teammate Philippe Coutinho as his favorite Premier League player. His statement came during the UEFA Champions League Draw earlier this week, and was posted to Instagram.
And really, it’s not that surprising.
Since the departure of Suarez, Coutinho has taken up the mantle as the main creative force on Liverpool’s roster. Coutinho doesn’t score as many goals, but he does many other things on the level of Suarez. No average player can miss a shot and have it be one of the highlights of the match, but that is the level of play that Coutinho has ascended to:
Today, Coutinho brings out the best of everybody. He wasn’t quite at the same level when playing with Suarez, but there were flashes of it:
Now we just need Liverpool fans to give Coutinho the kind of chant that he deserves. “Coutinho-o-o-o” just isn’t as good as Suarez’ old one.
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