Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Luis Suarez says he won't celebrate against former team Ajax

Luis Suarez has suggested he will not loudly celebrate should he score his first Barcelona goal back at his old club Ajax in Wednesday's Champions League Group F encounter.

Suarez has yet to find the net in his first two games in a Barca jersey, after he finally made his debut following the conclusion of the four-month ban imposed for biting Giorgio Chiellini at last summer's World Cup.

The 100 million euro summer signing from Liverpool has missed out on his side's Champions League games so far, but is now set to feature in the game at the Amsterdam Arena, returning to the club where he scored 111 goals in 159 games between 2007 and 2010.

The 27 year old said in the pre-match news conference in Amsterdam that it was special to facing Ajax for the first time since leaving, and he still remembered the good treatment he had received there.

"Obviously I feel good, I am looking forward to playing, even more in this special game," Suarez said. "I have nice memories of playing here, and of the affection I felt from the fans. Ajax was great from my career, they taught me many things, helped me improve. Obviously I would like to score tomorrow, to lift the weight and get my first goal for Barca, but out of respect I will not shout about it. I still have a lot of affection for this club and city."

Suarez said that Barca having lost the first two games in which he has played for the club -- to Real Madrid and Celta Vigo -- has not been ideal, but he felt he was already settled into the team's tactical set-up.

"Losing two games in a row is obviously not normal at a club like this," he said. "Obviously I had been training with the team, and knew them, but when you go out to play it always feels a bit strange but now I am very comfortable on the pitch. The coach has his philosophy and tactical ideas that the players have to adapt to.

"The first game I did not feel so good tactically, but as the games pass I feel better. Against Celta I did things well. Each player has to get used to the position and their teammates, and know their movements during the game."

Being used on the right of an attacking three to allow Lionel Messi his favoured position in the centre was not an issue, Suarez said.

"Last year at Liverpool I scored a lot of goals, and played on the left and on the right, and also at number nine," he said. "I am used to playing in any of the three positions. But obviously I am an attacker who likes to score goals, like all forwards."

Suarez's last game at Ajax was also a controversial occasion, as he was sent off for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal on the shoulder, leading to a seven-game ban which had not been fully served when he joined Liverpool in January 2011.

Asked whether his past misdemeanours continued to weigh on his shoulders, Suarez said he was firmly focused just on the future and the next game.

"I try to forget about what has passed, that is always the best thing to do, not just the most recent results, but also others," he said. "These are things which are over now, and I am focused on tomorrow's games. That is more important than thinking about the past."

^ Back to Top ^