Liverpool’s Luis Suarez looked leggy and sluggish, says Chelsea legend

Luis Suárez has scored 29 Premier League goals this season Photo: Back Page Images

Luis Suarez looked leggy and sluggish against Manchester City, according to Pat Nevin.

The Uruguay international wasn’t at his mercurial best but still managed to create Raheem Sterling’s opener in a close-fought 3-2 win against their title rivals at Anfield on Sunday.

He didn’t look anything like himself. He was so sluggish off the mark

Pat Nevin

And former Chelsea midfielder Nevin feels Liverpool need Daniel Sturridge and Suarez firing on all cylinders if the Premier League leaders are going to win the title.

“If I had a worry for Liverpool, and I have a slight concern for them, those two have to be at their best because Liverpool will lose goals,” Nevin told Newstalk’s Off The Ball.

“Suarez, and it is a strange thing to say, he looked leggy and a bit tubby. He didn’t look anything like himself. He was so sluggish off the mark. Maybe it came from the fact that he tried to outrun Kompany and when he didn’t get by him, he tried to get a lot of clever fouls.”

Nevin added that Sturridge appears to be suffering from a loss of form after a three-game goalless run, failing to find the net against Tottenham, West Ham and City.

“I think that was his original problem [he didn’t pass in certain situations],” Nevin added.

“Certainly at Chelsea, it was very, very obvious that he was like that. At the start of his time at Liverpool, there was a bit of that left. There was a big long period in the middle of the season and he learned off Suarez, and they had a great understanding of each other.

“Oddly in the last couple of weeks, he’s the one – I don’t know if it is pressure or being off form – but his first touch has been awful. Before, he wasn’t thinking about it.”