The evolution of Suso

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  • On his 23rd birthday, Suso scored a majestic brace in the Derby della Madonnina, and was very close to bringing AC Milan a sweet win over city rivals Inter Milan. Ivan Perisic might have made it 2-2 deep in injury time, but it didn’t take anything from the Spaniard’s performance.

    On Saturday, he scored once again and added two assists in the 4-1 win at Empoli. There is no doubt that the Spaniard is steadily becoming one of the most important players for Vincenzo Montella’s team.

    Liverpool don’t really require their services anymore, but some of the Anfield so-called flops are flourishing elsewhere these days.

    Mario Balotelli has found his feet at Ligue 1’s surprise leaders Nice. Iago Aspas is enjoying life at Celta Vigo and scored at Wembley on his international debut for Spain. Peter Gulacsi excels in goal for RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga and Brad Jones is doing a remarkable job for Dutch leaders Feyenoord.

    Suso might yet prove to be the best of them all, quite simply because he is the youngest. As Montella says, “he has an enormous potential, and needs to grow in his consistency and self confidence”.

    The potential was there for all to see when Suso was a 16-year-old talent at Cadiz. Scouts from all parts of Spain came to see him in action, and Real Madrid were keen on bringing the midfielder to their academy. And yet, the young prodigy chose Liverpool thanks to a call made personally by Rafa Benitez.

    It was right before the manager left Anfield in the summer of 2010, and thus Suso could be considered a farewell present of sorts. Two years later, that gift seemed ready to be unwrapped as Brendan Rodgers took over, and his tiki-taka plans suited Suso perfectly.

    The midfielder has always admired Andres Iniesta and tried to emulate him on the pitch. What a magical story it could have been if he became Liverpool’s very own San Andres!

    The manager noticed Suso’s skills and followed him closely during the European Under-19 Championships in Estonia, which Spain duly won, and happily added him to the first team squad. Everything looked bright, and the debut couldn’t have been more emotional.

    After Jonjo Shelvey was famously sent off against Manchester United, Rodgers decided to give Suso his chance. The 18-year-old completed all his passes, and got a lot of praise, even though the Reds eventually lost. He started in the next five Premier League fixtures, and the future looked promising.

    It was not to last, though. A couple of more disappointing games saw him benched and he gradually lost Rodgers’ trust. He didn’t start a game for Liverpool after December 2012, and a loan was needed to put his career back on track.

    Getting experience at Almeria in 2013/14 proved valuable, and some of his performances were truly spectacular, but upon returning to Anfield, Suso found that the team’s style of play had changed entirely. Gone was the possession play and he struggled to even get on the bench.

    His contract was due to end in 2015 and with no considerable offer from the club forthcoming, he chose to leave as soon as possible, even having a medical at Milan without informing Liverpool beforehand. The Reds sold him for about €1million in January 2015, and the player claimed: “I have grown, but haven’t noticed a lot of trust in me”.

    For about a year, there was no reason for the Premier League side to regret the decision. Suso barely played at Milanese side under Filippo Inzaghi, and was completely ignored by Sinisa Mihajlovic who replaced the former striker in the summer of 2015. The Spaniard became so irrelevant that few fans noticed a loan move to Genoa last January. And yet, that proved to be a masterstroke.

    Gian Piero Gasperini saw the qualities of Suso in a different light. For him, he was not Iniesta, but rather Arjen Robben – a left-footed dribbler who could play on the right wing of a 3-4-3 formation and cut inside at every opportunity. The results were outstanding.

    When Suso scored a magnificent hat-trick against Frosinone, all of Italy sat up and took notice. Robben would have been proud of each of the three strikes, and the Spaniard’s confidence soared.

    Sampdoria coach Montella witnessed Suso’s ability when Genoa demolished his side in the local derby. He scored twice in the 3-0 triumph, and his future boss had been convinced. When he took over at Milan in the summer, the Spaniard became an integral part of his plans.

    That was even more logical, because the Rossoneri didn’t have a good alternative to play on the right wing. The situation was so grim in the previous seasons that Keisuke Honda was asked to fill the role, even though he despised being exiled to the flanks.

    Thus, Suso became an important player in Montella’s 4-3-3 tactics, and duly scored a stunner against Napoli in only the second game of the season. The coach made every effort to make the Spaniard feel at home and asked him to be more incisive. “Suso is a little shy, and should take more risks. He has the quality to do that”, the Italian said.

    The advice was most certainly implemented in the derby. Suso’s strikes were taken superbly, and he even scored the second goal with his weaker right foot, a testament to his level of confidence. Following the great performance at Empoli, he now has five goals and four assists in just 14 Serie A matches this season.

    If his meteoric rise continues, Liverpool might live to regret letting go of him, at a ridiculously inexpensive fee no less.

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