Suarez form easing pain of Gerrard absence

The sight of Steven Gerrard on crutches is enough to fill any Liverpool fan with dread. Their inspirational skipper has only just returned to the first-team squad after six months out recovering from groin surgery, with his comeback frequently delayed by an infection.

Now, with five appearances under his belt, the England man fears another spell on the sidelines after a gash on his ankle became infected. He went to hospital for treatment on the wound befire last weekend's game with West Brom, but it remains to be seen whether he will be out for a significant amount of time.

If that proves the case it would be an undoubted blow to Reds boss Kenny Dalglish as their Premier League odds often depend on their inspirational skipper leading from the front.

However, in recent weeks the Kop faithful –who were left reeling by the departure of their other idol Fernando Torres in January – have someone else to drive the side forward, Luis Suarez

He seems to attract headlines – good and bad – but there is no doubting the quality Suarez possesses. The Uruguayan scored within minutes of making his debut in January and has wasted no time adapting to the demands of the English game.

True, his penchant for exaggerated falls and wild hand gestures to referees gets peoples backs up, but when he has the ball at his feet he looks like picking up the mantle the crocked Gerrard has reluctantly had to leave to one side, he is a handy outside tip if you want to bet on the Premiership top scorer.

Not that they are similar players, they play in different positions for starters. But in terms of prising goals out of nothing they are on a similar path. 

The diving issue is one that will rumble on for the rest of this season. There is no doubt that he looks to ‘win’ penalties, whether that is classed as diving needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. But while such tactics are admired in some ‘win-at-all-costs’ cultures, it is frowned upon in England. 

Just like Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba before him he may soon learn that such antics may count against him – indeed the negative publicity may leave him with an unfair reputation, leading to cases where genuine penalty claims are waved away due to previous indiscretions.

The best way to cure that ill though is to keep playing well and scoring goals – something he is doing with regularity at present, meaning Gerrard’s absence is no longer as critical as it would have been a few years ago.