ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno has torn into why Luis Suarez is now ‘painful to watch’ since signing for Inter Miami.
The Uruguay international has been quite the hit for the Herons since joining in the January transfer window, with Suarez reconnecting with Lionel Messi as an attacking partner and firing Inter Miami to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings.
With 14 goals and seven assists in all competitions, Suarez has arguably exceeded expectations already at Inter Miami, given how much doubt there was surrounding the 37-year-old striker and whether he could cut it in MLS.
Yet former Venezuelan international Moreno has claimed Suarez just isn’t who the forward used to be.
Suarez slammed for current physical state at the Copa America
Speaking on Futbol Americas, the pundit tore into Suarez’s current fitness levels, with Moreno suggesting that the striker doesn’t have what it takes to lead the line for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay side at the Copa America.
Moreno said when talking about if Suarez is capable of playing for Uruguay: “If we’re talking about the high pressure of Uruguay, you know who can’t run around and high press anybody at this point in his career?
“That’s Luis Suarez. Perhaps if you want a late goal or someone who can give you. a final touch inside the 18-yard box late in the match, then yeah, Luis Suarez is the answer. But if it’s about high-pressing and harassing teams, he just can’t do it. If you’ve seen Luis Suarez run currently, it’s painful to watch.
“He still has the final touch and he’ll have that until he retires and beyond that, you don’t lose that, but you do lose your legs, you lose your ability to run, and he’s not been able to do that for a while.”
Suarez is showing at Inter Miami that he doesn’t need pace to succeed
Moreno’s comments are quite misguided given just how impressive Suarez has been for Inter Miami this year, with the attacker already on 21 goal contributions in just 20 appearances in all competitions.
And whilst Suarez clearly doesn’t have the pace that made the forward one of the best strikers on the planet, the forward is still thriving in a league as physical as MLS, alongside Messi.
Indeed, Suarez will never be the explosive athlete he once was at FC Barcelona or Liverpool, yet the attacker doesn’t need that to be ranked amongst the best, with the striker’s natural talent clearly enough.