DANNY MURPHY: Luis Suarez was a shadow of his former self in Uruguay's draw with South Korea... he is being picked on reputation alone and should NOT start against Portugal
- Uruguay were disappointing in their World Cup clash with South Korea
- Luis Suarez struggled in the game, his touch was off and he just didn't look fit
- Darwin Nunez and Edinson Cavani should both now be starting ahead of him
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Portugal versus Uruguay on Monday could be billed as a battle of the legends, Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo. The reality is that on current capabilities, they are like chalk and cheese.
At 37, Ronaldo can't press for 90 minutes but he can still win you games. He is physically able to score goals at every level of football. Sadly, from what I saw live covering Uruguay's 0-0 draw with South Korea, Suarez is a million light years away.
Suarez was one of the best I played against in the Premier League, he could dribble past you either side and his enthusiasm was infectious. It was sad to see his performance the other night. He didn't look fit, he couldn't move, his touch was off.
Luis Suarez was a shadow of his former self in draw with South Korea, says Danny Murphy
His selection is hard to justify with Darwin Nunez(right) and Edinson Cavani (left) in the squad
He was so lacking I felt sorry for the other Uruguay players including Real Madrid's brilliant Federico Valverde. Suarez's presence on the pitch was unfair to them because it was like they were playing with 10 men. When he did get the ball, he lost it nearly every time.
I'll be interested to see if Suarez starts against Portugal. On merit, he shouldn't. It would be on reputation alone. In my final year at Blackburn, I needed someone to take me out of the firing line, to make the harsh decision that I was no longer able to cut it.
It feels like Suarez, who is 35, is at the same stage now and it's not like Uruguay don't have other goal threats like Darwin Nunez or Edinson Cavani.
I want to remember Suarez as he was, not what I saw last week. I can't tell you how sharp he was. He'd draw you into a challenge and spin in behind. If I dwelt on the ball in midfield, he'd come and get you, non-stop.
Suarez is being picked on reputation alone and should not start against Portugal on Monday
I remember once getting booked for a foul on Suarez. I lost it and started screaming at him and he just laughed back as if to say 'I've done my job, you've got a yellow card'.
That was the real Luis Suarez. The current one is just being indulged and no longer worthy of his starting place.
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