Liverpool legend John Barnes slams Suarez superstar mentality

08 August 2013 11:46

Former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes hit out at wantaway striker Luis Suarez in a radio interview broadcast Thursday, criticising the superstar culture in the modern game.

Uruguay international Suarez is trying to force his departure from Anfield, claiming on Tuesday that he had a gentleman's agreement with the club allowing him to leave in the close season if they had not qualified for the Champions League.

But Barnes believes Suarez should share the responsibility for Liverpool's European qualification failures and work harder to help the club to a top-four league finish.

The former England winger, whose failed managerial career did not match a brilliant playing one, says fans are fundamentally to blame for players getting big-headed.

"This is the future of modern football we have created," he told talkSPORT. "The media and especially the fans have empowered players too much to make them feel that a) they are better than their team-mates and b) they're better than their clubs.

"We've seen it at Arsenal where so many players have left because Arsenal cannot match their ambitions, and the fans are the ones who have created this superstar culture whereby you've separated the team and the superstars to feel more important than the club.

"What has empowered him (Suarez) and the likes of (Fernando) Torres is they feel the team is losing not because of them but because of their team-mates.

"Suarez is saying he needs to go because they've not qualified for the Champions League, but he was part of the team that failed to do that.

"He has to take responsibility for that. He's saying, 'I've done my job, I'm good enough, but the players I'm playing with aren't'.

"Our superstar players feel they are untouchable. We've gone too far and there's no way back."

Liverpool manager Brendan Rogers has told Suarez to train on his own while his future is sorted out.

The Anfield club have rejected two bids for the forward from Arsenal, the latest being for one pound over £40 million ($62 million, 46.4 million euros).

Suarez believes he had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave if Liverpool received a bid in excess of £40 million but the 18-time league champions, who have not tasted title success since 1990, insist that was only a benchmark above which they are required to study an offer.

Source: AFP