Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that he does not want Luis Suarez to calm down on the pitch.

The Uruguayan was booked for dissent during Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa having just returned from a one-match ban.

"He is a passionate lad," Rodgers told the club's official website. "I didn't think he deserved to be booked.

"I would never take that passion out of his game. That's what makes him the player he is."

Saturday's loss to Villa saw the Reds slip down to 12th place in the Premier League table.

Written by
Jack Prescott