As both players continue to propel their respective teams up the table, I ask the question; who is better?
IT'S A TEAM GAME, IS IT NOT?
Without Luis Suarez's 21 goals in the league this season, Liverpool would be sitting in 14th place. Before his move to Anfield, the Uruguayan's goalscoring record in Holland was his unique selling point. With 111 goals in 159 appearances for Ajax, Suarez had established himself as one of the best strikers to ever grace the Dutch Eredivisie along with names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dennis Bergkamp. His skill, low centre of gravity and controversial nature imposed itself on the Premier League following his £22.8million move in 2010, however, the eye for goal he had in the Netherlands had seemingly deserted him. Suarez completed his first season with the Red's with only 4 goals in 13 appearances. Fans were prepared to forgive considering the South American had little time to adapt to the English game. Unfortunately for Kenny Dalglish's men, it didn't get much better in the 2011-12 season.
In 31 games, Suarez scored a measley 11 goals and the side who had once seen the remarkable goalscoring talents of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen were crying out for a goalscorer. His ability to tease defenders was undoubtedly there; he just needed to finish.
This season, as we've all seen, the Uruguayan has taken the league by storm with an amazing 21 goals in 27 appearances for Liverpool so far. The club's prestige and fight for European football has been firmly placed on his shoulders and so far, he has delivered. Italian flop Fabio Borini has been unable to form the deadly partnership with Suarez that Brendan Rodgers had hoped for, but fortunately for him, the controversial star has done it all by himself.
Gareth Bale's 16 goals in 24 Premiership appearances this season have steered Tottenham Hotspur into 3rd place. Without his goals, they'd be mid-table in 10th place. Although Bale's goals have been instrumental in Spurs' success this season, unlike Suarez, Spurs 'goal tally has also been supplemented by the goals of natural strikers Jermaine Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. Bale's gradual progression from left-back to left midfield since his move from Southampton has seen him become one of the world's most wanted wingers. His performance against Inter Milan in the 2010 Champions League signalled to the world that a fresh talent was imposing itself on the European stage and since then, he has been compared to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
His pace and his wand of a left foot has been with him throughout his career, however, it is his dead ball specialism that has caught the eye of football fans this season. The Welshman has recently developed a way of striking the ball that can be likened to Ronaldo's unique technique. The technique, called the 'knuckleball' involves either striking the ball with the top of the laces (Ronaldo) or with the side of the foot (Bale and David Luiz). The technique creates a sharp, late dip on the ball which confuses keepers and increases the chances of the ball hitting the back of the net. Bale seems to have mastered the 'knuckleball', the best examples being his two remarkable free kick's in the Europa League against Lyon this year.
At the moment, Bale can't stop scoring and even Lionel Messi has admitted his desire to play with the Welsh wonderboy at some point in his career. However, it may be Lionel's El Classico rivals that have that privilege in the near future as rumours suggest Los Blanco's are plotting a £40million bid for the Spurs man.
STATS
Luis Suarez
Appearances/Goals: 38/28
League appearances/goals: 27/21
Assists: 9
League games in which he has scored/ Appearances: 15/27
Liverpool wins/ Liverpool wins in which he has scored: 11/8
Gareth Bale
Appearances/Goals: 34/21
League appearances/goals: 24/16
Assists: 1
League games in which he has scored/ Appearances: 13/24
Tottenham wins/ Tottenham wins in which he has scored: 16/10
WHO IS BETTER?
For me, it's Luis Suarez. Although Gareth Bale has undeniably been a revelation this season, the responsibility attached to the Uruguayan in the 2012/2013 campaign has been monumental.
He possesses all the bullish traits of a typical South American. Much like Sergio Aguero, he is able to weave in and out of defences with ease and his movement has bullied the league's defenders week in week out. Unlike Aguero, the Liverpool striker has put the ball in the back of the net.
Bale will continue to take a hold on the league, but he has been sugar-coated by the media due to his nationality. Typically, British players are bigged up by the British media (as seen with Jack Wilshere this season) and it has been no different for the Welsh star this year.
Suarez's reputation and history with controversy may dissuade people from tipping him as player of the year, but after considering where Liverpool would be without him, he'll surely be securing the award this season.
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