by Dave Usher for ESPN
The return of Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool's starting lineup was widely anticipated to spark a significant upturn in the Reds' "goals for" column. Brendan Rodgers' side had been playing attractive football and were creating plenty of chances but they lacked a clinical finisher to convert them. Raheem Sterling had done a fine job holding the fort in Sturridge's stead, but he is not as adept at burying chances as he is at creating them for himself.
After five months on the sidelines with various ailments, Sturridge was naturally seen as the man to provide that cutting edge and his return gave everyone associated with the club a huge lift, especially when he found the net just 12 minutes into his comeback on Jan. 31 in a 2-0 win over West Ham. Since then, however, it hasn't quite gone according to plan.
Liverpool's record since Christmas is impressive and they are currently the form team in the Premier League, but their run of results has largely been based around a suddenly solid defence and Sturridge has not actually made much, if any, discernible difference to results or performances. Since the switch to the 3-4-2-1 system in December, the Reds have played 23 games; 12 of them before Sturridge returned and 11 since. The dozen games before Sturridge's comeback yielded 18 goals; they have found the net 16 times in the 11 games that followed.
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