Liverpool: Daniel Sturridge made a mistake not demanding summer exit
Daniel Sturridge should have demanded a Liverpool exit during the transfer window but now remains in a situation that isn’t going to get any better.
Daniel Sturridge and Jurgen Klopp have had their differences lately. Sturridge just wants to play, but where Klopp wants him to play doesn’t quite seem to be what the Liverpool striker is looking for. However, Sturridge is a misfit in more ways than one.
Klopp’s way of playing is not compatible with the individualistic approach of the striker. Sturridge can frustrate for much of a game, but come a way with a goal or two in his pocket. It’s the way it is. The problem is does a Daniel Sturridge goal or two come at the expense of more goals for the rest of the team?
Which is what Klopp is concerned about. The team. Klopp spoke of bad decision-making a few weeks back. Which is basically another term for greed in many instances. That’s Sturrdge for you. You have take the rough with the smooth. Klopp just wants the smooth.
Klopp’s attacking unit has been working well this season. Almost all of the players in the front six are quick, alert, hard working and intense when it comes to winning the ball back. Roberto Firmino, for example, is not the goalscorer that Sturridge is, but he is more of a team player and a harder worker when pressing.
He fits into the attacking unit better than Sturridge does. The England man has ended up playing wide this season, and that means less Sturridge in the box than usual. That can’t be a good thing. That’s where Sturridge does his best work. You would rather him launch five shots from inside the box than launch five from outside of it.
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Another concern is Sturridge’s injuries. Can the 27-year-old even play the intense pressing game Klopp wants on a consistent basis? Can his body stand up to it? The truth is, Klopp cannot rely on Sturridge physically. He cannot rely on him and he doesn’t anymore.
Sturridge only made 14 Premier League appearances last season, scoring eight goals in doing so. Sturridge did, however, start in the second game of this season against Burnley. The team suffered a shock defeat losing 2-0 and Sturridge was hauled off after 65 minutes.
The following game against Tottenham, Sturridge was an unused substitute. Which is probably what he’s going to have to get used to this season. Klopp has better options for his style of play. Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane are a good fit as a front three for the German and his attacking unit. The key word being unit. A unit that presses and attacks in sync.
Daniel Sturridge is a good fit when Daniel Sturridge is the star attraction. Not as a member of a trio who work in unison. If Sturridge hasn’t figured this out before now, it’s going to dawn on him over the coming season.
The transfer window represented his best chance to seek an Anfield exit. He should have taken it.
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