Luis Suarez scored two goals for Barcelona on Tuesday night as they despatched Getafe in another hopelessly one-sided La Liga contest.
The second goal he scored was one of his typical curled finishes from outside the box. Pure class. His first was a piece of genius that has been desperately missed by his former club Liverpool.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers might have pondered, at times, during this tepid 1-0 defeat to Hull City what his old charge might have offered here in place of the players he bought to replace him.
"We did not look like scoring really to be honest," Rodgers said after. "There were some good moments and we had enough of the ball but never threatened the goal as we would have liked."
As Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert toiled in vain again it all came back to what Liverpool are missing. The spectre of Suarez continues to haunt this team.
Factor in the constant injuries to the devastating Daniel Sturridge and it is pretty apparent that Liverpool are a shadow of the team they were. They have lost over 50 goals, three league places and their hard-earned berth in the Champions League.
"It is about having that reference at the top end of the field that gives the other players the confidence and movement to create opportunities," Rodgers said. "Our struggles tonight were what they’ve been for the big part of the season in terms of that creativity and scoring goals."
Liverpool's season, which promised an FA Cup final and a return to Champions League football only a few short weeks ago, has disintegrated. Rodgers admitted that he has asked his players to maintain their professionalism until the end of the season. They owe the badge that much. After that? Who knows.
