If this last week has taught us anything maybe it’s that Liverpool should think about biting the bullet and stop trying to defend the indefensible.

Contrary to what the club would have us believe, Luis Suarez isn’t a victim, the Football Association are not picking on him and he hasn’t been put out like ‘garbage’.

He is simply a very talented football player who unfortunately has little concept of what constitutes civilised behaviour. Whatever trouble he gets into is entirely of his own making and not as a result of some witch-hunt.

In his relatively short time at Anfield, Suarez has been found guilty of racially abusing another player, admitted to diving to win penalties and now bitten an opponent in full view of the watching world.

Is that really the sort of player a club like Liverpool, with its history and tradition, should be sticking its neck out for? I can understand their fear of losing their prized asset, but then again, considering his behaviour, does he even deserve that sort of title?

When he is sat in the stands he is of no use to the team

In fairness, the club started off handling this latest incident well, condemning Suarez’s actions and fining him even as he was still picking Branislav Ivanovic’s arm hairs out of his teeth.

But then their tough stance started to wilt, with the club saying they were shocked and “bitterly disappointed” with the Uruguayan’s 10-match ban.

Well what on Earth were they expecting? The first time Suarez did this (and the fact that he has previously bitten an opponent gives you a clue to what type of person we are dealing with), he got a seven-match ban. And from what I understand of life, committing the same crime a second time generally tends to involve a more severe punishment.

In fact, let’s be honest, most of us mere mortals wouldn’t even have a job at all if we went round doing the things Suarez has done. Do you think I would still be writing this column if I had racially abused one colleague and then sunk my teeth into another? Of course not.

I totally understand the awkwardness of Liverpool’s position. On the one hand they know Suarez is a time bomb that seems to go off at least once a season. But on the other, he is one of the most talented footballers ever to play for the club.

But there must surely come a point when enough is enough, when a line has been crossed. And that must have happened when Suarez did his beaver in the box impression.

Of course, the other factor to take into consideration, apart from the club’s reputation, is the effect on the team. When he is on the top of his game, as he has been this season, Suarez can change games.

But when he is sat in the stands he is of absolutely no use to Brendan Rogers or the team. Eight matches for abusing Patrice Evra, 10 matches for biting Ivanovic – they add up to how many points a season?

Rogers suggested that the Football Association had punished the man rather than the crime when dishing out their punishment.

But what else could they do? When the man in question has a track record of carrying out the same crime, that history has to be taken into consideration when deciding his fate.

And, as the panel itself said, the fact that Suarez said he thought a three-match ban would be enough showed just how little remorse he felt over his latest indiscretion. At least initially.

As I said, I don’t envy the position Liverpool find themselves in – continue to stand by a player with a severe attitude problem or severely reprimand him and risk him getting sulky and leaving.

Personally, however, I think it’s time for them to lay down the law and tell Suarez to either get his act together or find a club prepared to put up with his uncivilised behaviour.

Having said that, Suarez did earn my respect for choosing not to contest the ban. Maybe that’s a sign that he is finally realising football deserves more respect than he is giving it.

I hope so, because as much as his behaviour irritates me, I wouldn’t like to see a player of his quality leave the Premier League. And I’m sure Liverpool feel the same way.

No hero’s welcome for Pep

A few months ago when it was announced that Pep Guardiola would be taking over at Bayern Munich this summer, the club’s fans were probably a bit excited.

After all, one of the world’s most wanted managers was coming to their club. Surely it would only be a matter of time before incredible success followed.

Well it certainly was. But Guardiola has had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Since the Spaniard’s impending arrival was announced, Bayern have gone on a run of staggering proportions. They have won 19 of their 20 games, an unexpected home defeat by Arsenal in the Champions League which was the only blip on an otherwise flawless run.

In that time they have won the Bundesliga title with a ridiculous amount of games to spare, secured their passage to the domestic cup final and now have one foot (and most of the rest of their body) in the Champions League final after demolishing Barcelona last week.

Under the brilliant leadership of Jupp Heynckes, Bayern stand on the threshold of achieving an awesome treble.

But it is not just about the results, but also about the way they are playing. This Bayern team does not win games by passing the ball to death, keeping possession until their opponents just want to go home and crawl into bed. No. This Bayern team defends solidly, controls matches and attacks with fluidity, power, pace and devastating efficiency.

In my opinion, Heynckes has got them playing a much more beautiful version of football than tiki-taka could ever hope to be. They don’t make your teeth itch with frustration at their keep ball tactics, but instead thrill and excite in equal measure.

And all that makes Guardiola’s impending arrival in Germany look so much less exciting, not just for the fans but also for the Spaniard himself. When he agreed to the job, it looked like he would be going in to guide them towards greatness. Sadly for him, they seem to have found it before he had chance to get there.

The chances are that, come the summer, he will be trying to follow in the footsteps of a manager who has turned his Bayern Munich side into one of Europe’s truly great teams.

In short, it would appear that Guardiola is going to have some pretty huge boots to fill, and I don’t think he anticipated that when he agreed to take the job.

Watching developments from his New York hideaway, he is probably gazing wistfully in the direction of Stamford Bridge. And maybe even the Nou Camp.

Your say

“I am assuming a big chunk of your article this Sunday is going to be related to the Suarez biting incident.

“I will not try to defend his actions. He has let himself, his team-mates, and us, the Liverpool fans, down. His 10-match suspension, if he is not sold in the summer, will put the team at a disadvantage at the start of next season, as we will be without our best striker, and player, for a good six matches.

“However, I do feel the 10-match suspension is way too harsh. The FA seems to have double standards when it comes to issuing sentences against Suarez. Jermaine Defoe walked away without punishment when he bit Javier Mascherano, and John Terry’s suspension for racist comments was half what Suarez received, even though Suarez’s case was, in my eyes, very doubtful.

“Tackles which led to horrific injuries, like the Lucas Neill one on Jamie Carragher, that led the Liverpool defender to be out for six months with a broken leg, have received lesser sanctions. And let’s be fair, what is worse, a bite or a career-threatening tackle?

“Suarez is a player of great talent and passion. He has admitted that his passion at times lets him down. I would rather have someone like him in my team, than the over-paid mercenaries that play week in week out for other teams. Players with his passion are a dying breed.” Robert Grech, e-mail.

“With reference to the last paragraph of your article Blast from the Past last Sunday, the following are the details of the Bill Dodgin father/son showdowns that took place more than 40 years ago:

“Bristol Rovers (Father) vs Fulham (son); September 13, 1969, Bristol Rovers 3 Fulham 2; December 13, 1969, Fulham 3 Bristol Rovers 1; November 21, 1970, Fulham 1 Bristol Rovers 2 (FA Cup); February 13, 1971, Bristol Rovers 0 Fulham 1; March 2, 1971, Fulham 2 Bristol Rovers 1.” Mario Sant, e-mail.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade