Talisman ... Luis Suarez has been a gem for Brendan Rodgers. Source: Paul Ellis / AAP
Plenty have said that Gareth Bale is in a league of his own in the Barclays Premier League.
But it's more like a league of three - alongside Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez.
Bale's recent exploits have seen him spoken about in rarefied terms usually reserved for Messi and Ronaldo. But Suarez's exploits this season cannot be understated. Liverpool's marksman carried the side in the first half of the campaign. Now he is flourishing with Steven Gerrard's return to fitness and the arrivals of Daniel Sturrige and Philippe Coutinho. He has the support crew and is relishing with the new service, as well as partners in crime.
Suarez's Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers - who has Liverpool in a position to make a serious late push for Europe - says Suarez has been the league's main man this year.
"For me there is not a better striker at the moment," said Rodgers.
"He is clearly the player of the year for myself and for many people around the country. He is absolutely incredible. Forget about his quality, it is his hunger and desire.
"He never wants to have an easy day and every time he comes onto the pitch he produces stunning performances and gives his maximum.
"It was a brilliant hat-trick for him and a great day for the team: to get the goals and a clean sheet was terrific."
Like van Persie last season, Bale and Suarez are both being linked with glamour moves in the off-season; Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are the main protagonists so far.
Rodgers, however, remains confident of keeping his main man.
"There will always be interest in top players and he is a world class player," Rodgers said.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man United | 28 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 37 | 71 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 56 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 28 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 54 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 26 | 52 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 47 |
| 6 | Everton | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 42 |
| 8 | Swansea | 28 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
| 9 | West Brom | 28 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 40 |
| 10 | Fulham | 28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | -5 | 33 |
| 11 | Stoke | 28 | 7 | 12 | 9 | -7 | 33 |
| 12 | West Ham | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | -9 | 33 |
| 13 | Norwich | 28 | 7 | 11 | 10 | -18 | 32 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 28 | 7 | 9 | 12 | -7 | 30 |
| 15 | Newcastle | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | -11 | 30 |
| 16 | Southampton | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | -12 | 27 |
| 17 | Wigan | 28 | 6 | 6 | 16 | -22 | 24 |
| 18 | Aston Villa | 27 | 5 | 9 | 13 | -26 | 24 |
| 19 | Reading | 28 | 5 | 8 | 15 | -20 | 23 |
| 20 | QPR | 28 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -23 | 20 |
"I speak regularly with Luis and I had a good meeting with his agent a few weeks ago who expressed how much he wants to be a part of things going forward.
"He has is a real affinity here with the players, he is a real leader within the group for us, the supporters adore him, he loves the city and I think he genuinely sees there is a bright future for us.
"It is one where it could have been easy for him to walk out last summer (he instead signed a new contract) but he didn't and he is very happy."
For so long Gerrard was the talisman that Anfield's stars looked to in a moment of crisis.
Now Suarez is the man providing the Kop with its inspiration.
"There is not much more you can say about (Suarez) - he is world class and his hat-trick speaks for itself," Allen told the club's official website.
"His relationship, not only with the players he plays with but also the fans, doesn't really happen that often. He really is a hero and an idol for everyone. The way he is performing for this club, he deserves to be.
"With Luis, you know he is going to conjure something up at any given moment in a game. To have that in your team is enormous. He's always hungry for the ball and to get more goals - you can't really ask for much more."
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