Liverpool manager Rodgers not worried about misfiring Suarez
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists he is not concerned about Luis Suarez’s problems in front of goal after the Uruguay forward drew another blank in the 1-0 win over Reading.
Suarez has managed seven goals this season – including a hat-trick in the 5-2 win at Norwich last month – but has also been guilty of some poor finishing at times.
The 25-year-old missed another host of opportunities against Reading on Saturday, which led to Liverpool’s first home Premier League win of the season having an unnecessarily anxious end.
Other than the comprehensive win at Carrow Road, Rodgers’ side have only managed more than a single goal on one occasion in their eight league matches this season.
The Liverpool manager’s attacking options were limited by the club’s failure to add another striker after allowing Andy Carroll to join West Ham on a season-long loan deal.
They have also lost Italy striker Fabio Borini for the rest of the year with a foot injury.
But Rodgers maintains the rest of the team must help ease the pressure on Suarez, who has scored 20 goals in 52 league appearances for the Reds since joining from Ajax for £22.8mil in January 2011.
Asked about Suarez’s missed chances, Rodgers said: “He also scores. He’s not perfect but he’s got a great return if you look at his stats when he was at Ajax and since he came here.
“There is no doubt we will want to be more clinical, but we want to get more players to take the load off him.
“People judge him on the outside and I was one of those. When you come here you see he just comes in and works. He’s an incredible character.”
Raheem Sterling scored the only goal with a neat first-half finish to secure the points against Reading as Rodgers earned a first home league victory sincehe replaced Kenny Dalglish as manager in the summer.
After Michael Owen, Sterling, 17, became the Reds’ second youngest scorer in Premier League history.
Rodgers acknowledges that Liverpool’s home form – they have managed just three wins at Anfield since the turn of the year – has been a major hindrance to the club’s progress.
But he hopes Liverpool can now build on the breakthrough.
“You don’t want it to keep dragging on but the players have kept working and you have seen their perseverance,” he added. “I’m pleased for the players and the supporters. It has been a long time coming and we should have had three points before now.
“It was a terrific performance and an excellent goal. We had 19 shots on goal and we need to improve our finishing which is an ongoing theme.
“I’m very pleased for (Sterling). It was a wonderful finish and he is a terrific talent. He has a good head on young shoulders.”