Newcaste's Jonas Gutierrez has come to the defence of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez
Saturday 3 November 2012 12:04, UK
Image:Jonas Gutierrez: Hopeful Newcastle can end their winless streak at Anfield
Jonas Gutierrez has come to the defence of Luis Suarez - despite the Liverpool striker receiving plenty of criticism for his constant habit to go to ground easily.
One direction
Gutierrez is hopeful the Magpies can end a 17-game winless streak at Anfield on Sunday and believes they can finish above their opponents for the second season in a row.
The 29-year-old added: "We're heading in the right direction as a club, we're playing in Europe which is a big step and we'll make sure we enjoy this season and finish as high as we can again.
"Maybe Liverpool expected a better finish last season, but that's football. For us this time, it's not about making sure we finish above any particular club.
"Looking at our start so far, in terms of points, we're not too far off last year, although if you talk about performances, we don't quite have the same feeling that we had 12 months ago. Saying that, we know that each season is different to the last.
"Because of what we achieved last season, it's more difficult this time, teams respect us and play in a different way. We're not always going to play flowing, beautiful football, sometimes we'll have to play ugly to earn the three points and that's an important trait to have."
