Suarez ready to be set-piece specialist
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez claims constant practice has helped him improve his free-kicks and admits he relishes being his side's set-piece taker.
By FOX SPORTS Staff
Suarez, who recently scored a brace of free-kicks against Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League, also found the back of the net in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Wigan on Saturday with a 25 yard belter from a set-piece situation.
With captain Steven Gerrard the designated first choice set-piece taker for Liverpool, the Uruguayan had precious little opportunities to try his hand at taking free-kicks and had not scored from one for the club prior to the current season.
However, Suarez believes he should be given more opportunities to take free-kicks from now on given how hard he has been practicing to improve his set-piece taking.
"I practice, because it's [set-pieces] one skill that at one time I never really mastered and so I worked on it a bit," Suarez told the official Liverpool website.
"I think it just needed practice and you can also learn from watching players of the class of Steven [Gerrard] and how he strikes the ball, as well as watching players from the past, it all helps.
"The more you practice, you grow in confidence, and it's also a boost when your teammates encourage you to have the confidence to shoot.
"Every player has his own particular skill and technique when taking a free-kick.
"I think Steven has been taking the free-kicks for a good while now but I think he realises that there are now one or two teammates who are up for taking them, myself included.
"There are some other top players who can also take them, but at that moment in the game you are anxious to take the kick yourself and as I said before, the support of your teammates give you that extra confidence."
Suarez also credited manager Brendan Rodgers for helping him improve in this aspect of his game.
"Sometimes the free-kick might be from a different position, or you might have to study the 'keeper's technique when making a save, the position of the wall, whether they jump in the wall, if the defenders are tall and if you can get the ball up and over them," Suarez explained.
"The manager is really good at this preparation. Before a game he shows the free-kick takers footage on dead-ball situations and that's also important."
Liverpool will take on Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League fixture.