Brendan Rodgers Responds to Claims He Managed 'the Luis Suarez Team' Back in 2013/14

Brendan Rodgers has responded to the claims that he only came close to winning the Premier League title with Liverpool in the 2013/14 season because he had Luis Suarez at his disposal.

The Reds were primed to end 24 years of hurt as they entered the final stretch of the season, but Steven Gerrard's infamous slip against Chelsea which contributed to a 0-2 defeat, and the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace saw Manchester City clinch glory by just two points.

The near miss seems to have unfairly tarnished Rodgers' reputation as a top manager, and many fans are quick to mock the Northern Irishman for his failure that season. And some like to insist that he only came so close because of the diamond he had at his disposal in Suarez.

On those claims, Celtic manager Rodgers said in a lengthy exclusive interview with the Mail: "People said, 'Well, he had Luis Suarez'. I thought that was very discourteous, mainly to the rest of the players, because we had created a team and we had one team and it had one brain.

"Luis was the focal point of it but he will tell you himself that he couldn’t have done that without the adjustments of the others.

"If you equate what was said about me with what might be said about a foreign coach, then as an example Mauricio Pochettino has done a great job at Tottenham but they probably wouldn’t say, 'It’s down to Harry Kane'. And it is the same with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool with the contribution of Mo Salah. But for a British coach, there always has to be a catch."

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The fact remains; Rodgers really oversaw a great team that played brilliant football that season. Suarez was sensational but the team as a collective plundered over 100 league goals and for that, perhaps the supposed Arsenal target deserves more respect.