Luis Suarez has reflected on facing Spain as an underdog today, his future at Liverpool and why he occasionally loses the plot.
The striker is preparing with Uruguay for Sunday evening’s Confederations Cup Group B opening match against La Roja aware of the task at hand.
“We know it is hard to get the ball off them, definitely,” reflected Suarez in conversation with Marca this weekend.
“But I've noticed that their wings are neglected at times when attacking and it creates spaces, these are errors that we should use our speed to counter-attack with, which is our strength.”
Having recently declared himself unhappy at Liverpool, Suarez is attracting a lot of transfer speculation.
“Will a goal against Spain put my price up? I don't think so [laughing]. Hopefully it helps the team. If Spain do not win the competition then it will be a surprise, they are the favourite.
“But in a field it is 11 against 11 and anyone can make a mistake, as it happened in the last Confederations Cup against the USA.
“It is good that we are not favourites. They keep talking about Spain!”
Suarez commented that he would be open to a move to Real Madrid.
“I think that every player wants to play at the top and if you ask any eight-year-old boy, he'd answer that one day he'd like to join Real Madrid or Barcelona. They are important teams and we all want to go there.
“If a team wants to sign me one day, Liverpool will listen to its offer. Then both clubs will have to reach an agreement and listen to the player.
“The love that I have for Liverpool, I will never forget them. I love the city, the club and the people.
“My family has been welcomed, everyone is welcome. They all want me there, but I ask for respect for all the suffering from what has been said, because my family may be suffering from hearing certain things outside of football.”
The 26-year-old is midway through serving a domestic ban in England for biting an opponent – the second time he has been punished in the game for this act.
Asked if there was anything further he wanted to add to previous apologies on the incident, Suarez looked to explain why he occasionally lapses.
“Anything to add? No, just that people must not remember me for that, do not attack me as a person for that. I prefer criticism for my football, technique…that’s what upsets me in the Premier League today.
“Why do I have these moments of madness? They're moments of frustration and it's about time I learned to control them. I experienced football in my own way from a young age.
“I've struggled since I was a kid. I remember going to train on my own or with my brother, in the rain. I haven't forgotten that and I hold those memories dear.
“Nacional almost let me go when I was 13 years old because I wasn't playing and I was mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
