Allen: Suarez is our idol, too
Joe Allen reflected on Luis Suarez's latest superlative individual display in Liverpool's 4-0 victory at Wigan Athletic and insisted: 'He's a hero and an idol to us players, too.'
The Uruguayan plundered a hat-trick at the DW Stadium to take his tally for the season so far to 28 goals - 21 of which have come in the Barclays Premier League, putting him top of the leading scorers table.
Allen admits that he, much like everyone else, is running out of superlatives for Suarez.
He told Liverpoolfc.com: "There is not much more you can say about him. He is world class and his hat-trick speaks for itself.
"His relationship not only with the players he plays with, but also the fans, doesn't really happen that often. He really is a hero and an idol for everyone. The way he is performing for this club, he deserves to be.
"With Luis, you know he is going to conjure something up at any given moment in a game. To have that in your team is enormous. He's always hungry for the ball and to get more goals - you can't really ask for much more."
Suarez is thought to be among the frontrunners to clinch the PFA Players' Player of the Year accolade - and Allen admits he and his teammates are crossing their fingers for the No.7.
He added: "Obviously we're biased as Liverpool players and we're going to want to see him win it, but we'll have to wait and see what unfolds."
Suarez's treble came after Stewart Downing had headed Liverpool into a second-minute lead.
The early goal set the tone for an outstanding afternoon's work from the Reds, who have now scored 12 goals in their last three matches.
Allen feels the recent form of Brendan Rodgers' side points towards a bright future.
He said: "It was a fantastic day for us. We were clinical and with a clean sheet as well, you can't really ask for much more.
"It's definitely up there with our best performances this season, especially when you consider it was away from home as well. We've had some great results at home recently and this was similar to those performances. It's a great boost and going into the last games of the season, this could be a massive game for us.
"It bodes well for the future. I think the supporters will see that as well. That's great to know and great to see. When you score four goals, you can focus on the way we attacked, but I think the way we defended shows that side of our game is really solid at the moment."
Allen continued: "It's seemed to be one step forward, two steps back at times. There are a few turning points during a season, and I think this one - looking forward not only until the end of the season but also future seasons - is promising.
"Liverpool Football Club is a worldwide club and you want to be challenging for every trophy you can. When you're not, it's unfortunate. But there are hungry and ambitious people here and looking towards the future, we're ambitious we can do that [challenge]."
The result leaves Liverpool nine points off fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with 10 games left to play.
Spurs are next up for the Reds at Anfield on Sunday week and Allen claims Brendan Rodgers' men are heading into the final straight high on confidence.
He said: "Inside the changing room, we'll have our aims. Concentrating on the next game is obviously a classic cliché, but I think that's the case for us between now and the end of the season.
"With performance and victories like this, it'll give us massive confidence going into the next game."
Allen also reserved praise for Philippe Coutinho, who marked his second start for the club with two assists during his 70-minute run out.
"He's made an instant impact," said the Wales midfielder. "A goal on his first start and then two assists [against Wigan] - you can see the quality he's brought straight away.
"He's still a young player, but he's going to be a great player for Liverpool."
Allen wasn't quite so effusive when discussing his own form, despite a commanding display in the centre of the park against Wigan.
The No.24 feels he is returning to his best but insists he can still improve further - and is determined to do so before the final ball of 2012-13 is kicked.
Allen reflected: "I can feel it coming back. Sometimes I am too self-critical and I think there are elements to the quality of my game that are still improving. Hopefully between now and the end of the season, they will really come back.
"I am still young and I haven't had a long career, but if I am honest it was probably a vein of form that was something I hadn't had to deal with before. It wasn't the high levels I'd set myself, but I'm confident enough that it will come back.
"I've just kept working hard. Nothing changes - you just keep working hard and have faith things will improve."