The two faces of Luis Suarez... Can we believe anything the Liverpool striker says?

PUBLISHED: 16:58 EST, 14 August 2013 | UPDATED: 03:16 EST, 15 August 2013

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Since Luis Suarez first told Liverpool he would like to leave for the greater glories of Arsenal (eight seasons without a trophy at the last count), he has had numerous opportunities to tell his manager Brendan Rodgers that perhaps he had been a little hasty. None were taken.

Forgive us, then, if we treat with some scepticism the words we are told football’s most infamous Uruguayan is now said to have uttered this week in the town of Rifu, in north-east Japan.

In Asia for a friendly with Japan yesterday, Suarez is reported to have unburdened himself, declaring that he will, after all, be staying at Liverpool.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Suarez scores belter against Japan

Luis Suarez playing for Liverpool in pre-season

Changing faces: Luis Suarez will say whatever it takes to get himself out of a hole, as he's shown before

Marriage in hell: Suarez has maintained all summer he wants to leave Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool

Happy: Suarez celebrated his return to action by scoring for Uruguay against Japan on Wednesday

Suarez scores belter against Japan

THE SAGA OF THE SUMMER

June 17 Suarez says he wants to leave Liverpool while on duty with Uruguay

July 8 Suarez admits he is flattered by interst from Arsenal

July 17 Suarez's agent tells clubs to bid £40million to test a clause in the striker's contract

July 24 Arsenal bid £40million plus £1 for Suarez in the belief it would trigger a release clause

July 24 Liverpool owner John W Henry tweets 'What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?'

July 30 Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool haven't had any bids for Suarez matching their valuation.

August 4 Suarez appears in Steven Gerrard's testimonial

August 6 Suarez left out of Liverpool's pre-season trip to Norway with foot injury

August 7 Suarez blasts Liverpool over breach of contract, demanding they let him leave

August 10 Rodgers insists Suarez is not for sale

August 11 Rodgers says Suarez must apologise before he is welcomed back

August 12 Suarez refuses to say sorry, still believing the club have betrayed him.

August 12 Rodgers says the relationshp between Suarez and the club can be resolved.

August 14 Uruguayan media claim Suarez now wants to stay at Anfield

August 14 Suarez denies claim he wants to stay at Anfield

‘For now, due to all of the people’s affection (for me), I will be staying,’ Suarez is supposed to have told Uruguayan newspaper El Observador.

On Merseyside yesterday, as news of his utterances flickered across internet screens, mobile phones and TVs, eyebrows must have been raised.

They love their football in Liverpool and anybody who has seen Suarez play will desperately want him to stay at Anfield. They aren’t stupid, though, and if we have all learned one thing over the past year or so, it’s that his words are not really worth the paper they are written on.

As if to prove that point himself, Suarez subsequently delivered another dizzying volte face, saying after scoring in his team’s 4-2 victory: ‘I didn’t say that. Maybe someone else did.’

Journalist Martin Chaquero was certainly convinced yesterday. ‘Luis Suarez confirms to me he will not leave Liverpool,’ he tweeted. ‘The support of the fans has influenced his decision.

‘Suarez sees it as likely that he’ll sign a renewal (extension) to the contract that binds him to Liverpool.’

It is only 12 months since Suarez signed a new contract at Anfield. Long enough for the 26-year-old to forget that there was no release clause in it, of course, but certainly recent enough for him to forget about a replacement just yet.

Putting that peculiar notion to one side, though, it is worth noting that his own take on his future has been inconsistent. I have my own experience of his unique take on honesty, having heard him tell me last winter that he would see out his contract at the club.

It made a super headline for the next day. The only drawback was that it wasn’t remotely true.

Subsequently there have been enough twists and turns in this saga to convince us only that Suarez is the type of man who will say anything at any time if he thinks it will help to dig him out of a hole. At Anfield that hole remains pretty deep.

In charge: Manager Brendan Rodgers and owner John W Henry (below) have insisted Suarez is not for sale

Liverpool manager Rodgers — impressively resolute — has already told Suarez that he won’t be sold and those words have been echoed by the club’s owner John W Henry.

Rodgers has also told Suarez that he will continue to train alone until he issues an apology for the things he said in an interview he gave to two broadsheet newspapers last week. Suarez, therefore, faces the prospect of doing the one thing that clearly doesn’t seem to come naturally to him. He will have to return to the North West and confront reality.

When he does he will discover that a few sentences uttered to a favoured journalist are not enough to piece relationships back together. For that to happen, he will — for the next few months at least — have to present Rodgers and the Liverpool squad with a passable impersonation of a centre forward who wishes to play for them again.

Of all the things said and written during this miserable saga, none have resonated more than those of Suarez’s former team-mate Jamie Carragher in these pages last Saturday.

Eyes on the prize: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made mulitple bids for Suarez

Happy again? Suarez celebrates Uruguay goals from Alvaro Gonzalez and Diego Forlan (below)

Writing his debut Sportsmail column, Carragher revealed that he had trained with the Uruguayan on a recent visit to Melwood.

Gone were the effervescence and enthusiasm familiar to Carragher from his time playing and training with him. In their place was a picture of reluctance and truculence, Suarez existing on the fringes of the action, shoulders slumped.

To all intents and purposes, it appears that Suarez has withdrawn his labour. If it was a tactic aimed at ensuring release from his contract then it hasn’t worked and at Melwood this week, Rodgers will look for the physical signs that Suarez’s Japanese U-turn was genuine.

Was it? Can we really believe him? Did he say it? The chances are that he did, having realised that all exit doors have now closed. It’s a clumsy shot at redemption.

In essence, though, it doesn’t really matter. In this situation, its less about what Suarez says and more what he actually does.

Made his point: But Suarez may now have had all his avenues out of Liverpool closed

More...

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HM, Dublin, 2 months ago

sport journalists... the lowest rung. Just took at this article, silly silly silly. Whatever your personal opinion of any player's personal traits, looks, morals..keep it to yourself mate and just report on his/her performance as an athlete and the teams results. No interest in your opinion on anything else or seeing every "sports journo" play tabloid drivel to sell sell sell. Digusting. Anyone who uses a sports star as a shining beacon of example for morality for their children needs to buy a brain - play the game, be your best... the rest, learn off your parents and at school, period.

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villamedici, Bangkok, Thailand, 2 months ago

Henry will not sale to Kroenke thats a fact,waste of time from wenger. But one thing is sure players and agents will learn a lot from Bale,Rooney and Suarez and scrutinize their contracts in the future and set up clauses to free themselves if unhappy. Thats easy to achieve at least for those top players. We are following football because of those players and not because of Pardew,Moyes,Brendan or other pencil pushers.

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Orejano, Melbourne, Australia, 2 months ago

I like how people pass judgment base of what they read on the media. Leave Suarez and Liverpool alone and wait for things to work out without the media's bull. Posting opinions about players and clubs by fans only motivate the media to come with more bull. Let talk about what happens in the field and leave the gossip for the old ladies in the hairdressing room.

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A .2 Sheds Jackson, Tuebrook, United Kingdom, 2 months ago

Can we believe anything football journalists say ?

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barry, london, 2 months ago

Another DM article another pathetic arsenal dig. Is all the staff spurs fans?

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Maccers1824, Cheltenham, United Kingdom, 2 months ago

Seeing as though he only signed a new contract last year, Luis should honour his contract, give 100% this season like he always does and then see where Liverpool are. I can understand that he wants to leave but why sign a 4-year-deal if you kinda knew Liverpool would have serious competition for 4th? Arsenal are struggling now so why go to Arsenal with the crisis they're in? Also he says he didn't abuse Patrice Evra and did, says that he wants to leave Britain and partially doesn't .... so no we can't believe everything he says.

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nellagsy55, Guernsey, 2 months ago

as a Liverpool fan I am totally behind j w henry and Rodgers. when saurez realises being alone and that the club mean what they say he will only be to willing to put his boots on, and show every one his talent. well for this season at least..