Should Luis Suarez be banned for “Biting” at the World Cup in Brazil?

Luis Suarez is a supremely gifted footballer who unfortunately has a habit of losing control on the pitch and after “allegedly” biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay’s final World Cup group game, Suarez’ career is once more in the dock.

At the time of writing, FIFA have yet to come forward with a decision on what disciplinary action (if any) it will hand out to Suarez. Some are suggesting a complete ban from the remainder of the world cup, others believe a much harsher sentence is deserved, with this being the third “biting” incident the player has been involved in.

There are certainly those who dislike Luis Suarez and would love to see his career ended and there are those (not just Liverpool fans) who would somehow like to see him rehabilitated so that the sport can retain the services of one of its greatest modern day players.

There are many different arguments of course, one being that if a company employee were to bite a fellow worker, that he (or she) would surely be sacked. Others point to the fact that this is not a one off lapse in concentration or self-restraint and that Suarez might have deeper underlying problems that need dealing with. All valid points.

Some might say that football is out of control altogether. How many players receive multiple red cards in their career and simply get away with a three match ban every time and perhaps an insignificant fine from their clubs? Remember, very often a red card is dished out for violent conduct! There is no excuse for biting – it is violent and vile but perhaps the same can be said of the deliberate use of elbows or those horror tackles where the studs are showing – they are all acts of violence and very often they are repeated by players again and again with intent. Where is their punishment?

Luis Suarez is at a critical point in his career and one would argue, his life in general. A hefty ban, could impact not just his (and his country’s) World Cup but his club career too. Despite a simply stunning season for Liverpool last time out, the Uruguayan is clearly unhappy with the way he is treated by the English media and may possibly be looking for an escape route with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid showing more than a little interest. However, will anyone want to pay in excess of £70 million for a player who not only has some major issues but might also be banned for a significant amount of time? Will Liverpool, or can Liverpool stand by their man once more in the face of such global condemnation and pressure?

For what it’s worth, I believe that Suarez needs to be punished accordingly and given perhaps a final warning, that when returning from the latest ban, if it were to happen again a life ban would be waiting. At the same time, I am neither a Liverpool fan nor Uruguayan, but I believe that losing Luis Suarez for good from our football pitches would be a genuine loss. Such a wonderful player, such a shame.

10 Things that Could Still Happen In the Premier League this Season - Updated

A little bit earlier in the season, I highlighted 10 things that could still happen in the Premier League this season. With most teams only having 11 more games to play, let’s take a quick look back and see how many of those 10 things have happened or could happen.

1. Romelu Lukaku could end up as Premier League top scorer – Barring a major miracle, this one isn’t going to happen. After a very bright start and steady stream of goals, the Midas touch seemed to desert the Belgian international. The dry spell was followed by an injury and even if he returns for the final 10 games of the season, he is miles behind the likes of Suarez, Sturridge and Aguero.
2. Someone other than Man City, Man United and Chelsea could win the Premier League this season – This one is still alive and well. Although many will have Chelsea and Man City as favourites to battle it out, at the time of writing both Arsenal and Liverpool have a genuine chance of winning it.
3. Paulo Di Canio might not be the only manager to lose his job this season – Martin Jol, Rene Meulensteen (both Fulham), Ian Holloway (resigned not sacked), Andre Villas Boas, Michael Laudrup, Steve Clarke and Malky Mackay all followed in a domino rally meaning that with just over a quarter of the season still to play, we have lost more Premier League managers (eight) this season than we did in the whole of last season (seven).
4. This could be the closet title race for years – Still on! 11 games to play and only 4 points separate the top 4!
5. Leighton Baines could finish the season at a different club – Not going to happen. The transfer window slammed shut with Baines still very much an Everton player and seemingly happier than he was in the summer when both Manchester United and Chelsea showed an interest. Everton’s steady improvement under Roberto Martinez and the struggles at old Trafford, may have made it easier to convince him to stay at Goodison Park.
6. Romelu Lukaku might score more Premier League goals than the Chelsea frontline combined – Lukaku has 9 league goals, Eto’o has 6, Torres has 4 and Demba Ba has 1. That puts Lukaku behind by 2 and up against it. It could still happen if he gets back from injury and the Chelsea strikers continue at their current pace!
7. A Welsh player could win player of the season for the second time running – The chances of this are fading fast. If the season had ended at Christmas, Aaron Ramsey would surely have won but an injury has interrupted his season and a host of other players have come into contention – Suarez, Aguero, Yaya Toure, Hazard to name but a few.
8. Man United could finish outside the top 4 – This is now probably a likelihood rather than a possibility.
9. Tom Huddlestone could cut his hair – Done and dusted! In fact after scoring against Cardiff recently, he could have cut it twice!
10. Stoke City could become the next Arsenal (in style of football) – Okay, so this was going a little bit far but it is fair to say that Mark Hughes and Stoke are not as predictable as they have been for the past few seasons. They are in a relegation battle (just 3 points from bottom 3) but they are also in the battle to finish where they usually finish in mid table (just 4 points off 10^th). So, that one could go either way.

So, out of those 10 items written about earlier in the season, only 1 of them definitely won’t happen, 2 or 3 of them are unlikely to happen, a couple of then happened already while some still remain in the balance. Watch this space!

Team "S" Takes its Place in the Premier League Alphabet and has more than a Hint of Liverpool

An abundance of “S” named players has made this the first of my alphabet teams where I have really struggled (with the exception of the strikers) to pick a first choice 11. The quality left on the bench or as squad players is ridiculous, especially in the attacking midfield and forward departments.

So, let’s have a look at the team.

Goalkeeper – Szczesny (Arsenal)

Defenders – Shawcross (Stoke City), Sakho (Liverpool), Skrtel, (Liverpool), Shaw (Southampton) Santon (Newcastle United)

Midfielders – Silva (Manchester City), Sidwell (Fulham), Sigurdsson (Tottenham Hotspur)

Forwards – Suarez (Liverpool), Sturridge (Liverpool)

Subs and Squad Players – Stekelenberg (Fulham), Smalling (Man United), Senderos (Fulham), Stones (Everton), Sagna (Arsenal), Schneiderlin (Southampton), Shelvey (Swansea City), Sissoko (Newcastle United), Snodgrass (Norwich City), Schurlle (Chelsea), Sagbo (Hull City), Sterling (Liverpool), Sessegnon (West Bromwich Albion), Soldado (Spurs)

Choice of goalkeeper was fairly straightforward and there probably won’t be any arguments there, although Stekelenberg and indeed Speroni are waiting in the wings if Szczesny has a wobbly spell.

Some of the other teams in this series have looked a bit weak at the back so I have opted for a 5-3-2 formation here to emphasise the strength in defence. Both Luke Shaw and Davide Santon (who can play on both sides) are very attack minded full backs so can easily supplement the midfield when called upon. Sakho, Shawcross and Skrtel provide plenty of power and strength in the central positions and offer a significant threat from set pieces.

Midfield was a really tricky puzzle to solve and there are sure to be plenty of disagreements over the selection here. Anyway, David Silva simply had to be in as one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League. Steve Sidwell, who can score a goal two is really picked for his tenacity in the tackle and ball winning ability, while Gylfi Sigurdsson, who isn't a regular in the Spurs team, offers plenty of craft and invention and is great at striking the ball from distance.

The SAS partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge just had to lead the line. Even as a non- Liverpool fan it’s impossible to play any of the other strikers ahead of them. Mind you, there are plenty of options for impact substitutions and if injuries play their part.

So, what do you think? Who would you have played in midfield? Would you have played a different formation? How does the team compare to the "J" team or the "R" team?