English press spurred me on to enact revenge: Suárez
Luis Suárez has once again railed at his treatment at the hands of the English media, saying that he felt under attack in the newspapers before Uruguay’s World Cup tie against England last Thursday, which he would settle with two outstanding goals, The Guardian reports.
The Liverpool striker is preparing for the decisive Group D fixture against Italy, which Uruguay must win if they are to progress to the last 16, and he admitted that his battle for 100% fitness continues. Suárez, who had knee surgery on 22 May, said he had pushed himself to the very limit in his comeback game against England to help his country to the 2-1 victory that meant so much to him.
Afterwards, he said that he was enjoying the moment because “before the game, too many people in England laughed about my attitude over the last few years,” which seemed to be a reference to the coverage of the principal controversies that have plagued his Premier League career – the racism incident with Patrice Evra, and the biting flashpoint with Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.
But here in Natal, Suárez implied that it had been criticism directly before the England tie that had riled him. “What happened before the match‚ I did not want to attack anybody, only some of the media started making fun of me and you are in the media,” he told an English journalist. “You should know what happened and why they did that to me.”
It was unclear to what Suárez was referring. There had been no raking over of the Evra or Ivanovic episodes before the England against Uruguay tie – apart from one tongue-in-cheek headline – and, if anything, Suárez’s star in media terms had never been higher. He was voted not only the PFA’s player of the year but as the Football Writers’ Association’s player of the year, too, after his sensational season at Liverpool. Perhaps Suárez was upset by the assertion from the England manager, Roy Hodgson, that he was not a world-class player.
“You should know what happened and I think it was nothing more than the papers,” Suárez said. “Because everybody knows that I was elected the best player of the year. Even the people in the Premier League voted for me.”
Uruguay’s World Cup hopes had been left to hang by a thread after the 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica, a game that Suárez had missed because Óscar Tabárez, the manager, felt that the doubts over his fitness were too great. Suárez’s return against England had a galvanising effect and he intends to summon another colossal effort against Italy. The question is whether his knee can withstand another strenuous test so soon after that game.
Before the England game, Suárez had not played since the final day of the Premier League season, for Liverpool against Newcastle United on 11 May.
“I was not really 100% fit [against England] and sometimes this turns around,” Suárez said. “I was the other day really at the limits of my physical capacity. And for the last match at Liverpool, I was full of cramps and I was tired. But of course you have a certain experience and you can build yourself up for the next assignment. This is what I am doing.
“The knee feels good. I think it’s in perfect shape but when you have surgery, you need some time to see the reaction. Having played so much of the England game [88 minutes] and been the object of so much attention‚ if the knee didn’t feel good, I would have told the coach. But I am cool right now.
“We know what is at stake and we know that we have to qualify. Both teams will want to win and it will be a lovely game to play. We are ready to face the best possible Italy team and then we will play the way Uruguay play when we want to reach something.”
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