Daniel Sturridge: misused or misunderstood? Whatever the Birmingham born strikers past, his future is well and truly cemented at Anfield for years to come.
A blistering start to his Liverpool career, which has reaped the reward of 15 goals in 19 appearances, has ensured Sturridge has formed an immediate bond with the Anfield faithful and finally has a place where he feels he belongs.
“It [Liverpool] is the biggest club I have ever played for. In the Premier League, there is no bigger club.” A bold statement from the forward upon his January signature, especially considering his previous two clubs Manchester City and Chelsea have lifted the Premier League crown a combined four times since the Merseyside club last lifted the league trophy in the 1989-90 season.
Some may say that it was blindly obvious Sturridge would come out with similar quotes. No player is going to turn round and exclaim the club they’ve signed for is a small club with little ambition; however, there was a feeling that these words were of a truly genuine nature from a 23 year old man who, for a combination of reasons, never truly fulfilled the early promise shown as a boy.
Deployed out wide by Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea, he netted on his first game back from a successful stint at Bolton, away at The Stadium of Light to aid the blues to a 2-1 victory. Despite finishing that season with 13 goals from 40 games largely off the bench or from wide areas, it seemed evident that Sturridge would once again have to seek a move away to fulfil his full potential.
The £12million January move to Liverpool was secured and with it came major talking points. Could Sturridge keep fit enough to sustain any sort of form? How would the on-fire Luis Suarez and Sturridge play together and in what system? Just to mention a few.
Doubts soon turned into delight after just 7 minutes when Sturridge scored on his debut against Mansfield Town on January 6th, 2013 and the Englishman hasn’t looked back since. Scoring a goal in a red shirt in every 1.26 games he’s played, the impressive record isn’t even bettered by last season’s golden boot winner Robin Van Persie, who after his £24m move to the Premier League Champions averages a goal per 1.39 games he plays.
Despite playing significantly less games since his arrival, it’s only when you compare his goal-scoring record against the other top forwards in the league, that you start to gain a true representation of just what an impact he has had and is continuing to have on Liverpool.
If each of those players sustains their goal-scoring record for their individual clubs over the course of the 2013-14 Premier League season, then Sturridge will walk about away with the Golden Boot; projected to even outscore his team-mate Luis Suarez by 11 Premier League goals, if the Uruguayan is a Liverpool player come 3rd September.
Sturridge himself will be the first to admit that he is far from being the finished article and will have the toughest job sustaining his goal-scoring form over the course of the season.
However, one of the most surprising personal aspects about Sturridge since his Anfield arrival has been his humility and the desire to constantly improve. From an external perspective, it seemed that Sturridge was quite arrogant and had an on the field selfish nature; myths and concerns which have been quickly dispelled since his short stint at the club.
Another benefit that Daniel Sturridge offers is his tactical flexibility. Brendan Rodgers is seemingly favouring the 4-2-3-1 formation, with the attacking quartet interchanging all the time making it increasingly difficult for opposition defenders to mark the men in red and courtesy of Squawka, this is shown in Sturridge’s action areas against Aston Villa, where he also grabbed the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory:
His best and most effective position has been clearly highlighted as the central striker, however his ability to be able to play from wide areas is only a bonus and as shown, it is clear he is not worried about moving into those areas during games, which can only be a positive for Rodgers and everyone at Liverpool to take.
Furthermore, what has also been encouraging to see is his interaction with the Liverpool fans through social media sites and in real life. The video of him dancing with a Liverpool supporter after their 4-2 over Notts County in the League Cup just shows how comfortable he is in his new surroundings and this can only be beneficial to Liverpool and England.
A confidence player, with bags and bags of confidence is a frightening thought for any defender and Premier League defenders could be set to be even more frightened. Supposedly not at full fitness, but still managing 4 goals in 3 games in the current campaign, Sturridge will easily break that 20 league goal barrier; providing he does stay fit and if he reaches his 38 game projected goal tally of 30, he would become the first player since Robin van Persie in the 2011-12 season to break the 30 league goal barrier. With the volume of chances Liverpool create and will continue to create, there is a very likely possibility of the projection materialising into reality.
The last time a club who had the Premier League’s top goalscorer finished outside of the top 4? Kevin Phillips for Sunderland in the 1999-2000 season. The signs look incredibly promising for both Sturridge and Liverpool Football Club.
It seems that Brendan Rodgers’s £12m gamble has well and truly paid off and along with £8.5m Philippe Coutinho the combined £20.5m January outlay could hold the key to Liverpool finally re-establishing themselves as one of the major players within English football.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Daniel Sturridge has the ability, the right temperament and now the right environment in which he can thrive to become the leading marksman for both club and country; finally fulfilling his early potential for many years to come. Liverpool have well and truly found themselves a diamond in the rough, who is only becoming a more polished and well-rounded professional with every game he plays…
