Daniel Sturridge - 2020

[Anubis]

I thought he did everything Klopp asked of him and played well. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Better than Solanke.

[The Guest]

He has those annoying lazy moments but I think they just stand out so much because of how much the rest of the team work.  He’s almost certainly “back” though.  He was running at people, riding challenges and taking fouls.  He’s been scared of his own shadow pretty much since Klopp arrived so it was great to see him take on the physical side of the game again.  It’s no surprise to me to see Klopp talking about him being in the best shape he’s seen him.

 

Other than those lazy moments he was doing the right things off the ball.  The front 3 tend to switch position a lot when they try to press to cover each other.  My biggest fear with Sturridge is that he won’t like going wide.  If he’s not going to go chasing around like them then at least he needs to cover them and get in position and he was doing that last night.  His interview was great as well.

[El Rojo]

Great to have him back playing an important role. The goal will do him the world of good in terms of confidence.

 

He's not a substitute for any of our front three in terms of style, but we used him well last night.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Renaissance Dan

[Guest Alex_K]

Contract year. Wants that $$$. Will be well worth his place in the squad — a motivated Sturridge is infinitely better than Solanke.

[El Rojo]

A few weeks and one start into the season, he's already equaled the the total number of goals Ings and Solanke scored last term.

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, Alex_K said:

Contract year. Wants that $$$. Will be well worth his place in the squad — a motivated Sturridge is infinitely better than Solanke.

That's what I've been saying all along. If he plays well this season, he'll get paid somewhere and will have far more options. He's as motivated as ever right now and therefore we can expect good performances and that he will bust his ass. 

 

Also, I forgot how brilliant he is at holding the ball under pressure and drawing free kicks. That's a great skill to possess in these games against top sides. 

[Bjornebye]

I think it is a mix of actually seeming to be fit for the first time in ages and also knowing his place in the side. After Suarez left he thought he was top dog and clearly wasn't. Then all them injuries. Never a starter when the front 3 are available but a good option of the bench and a starter against the much shitter teams. 

[VladimirIlyich]

Calm down dears. It's only a matter of days before he's out for three years with a bruised ego. Tick tock..

[Shitty Arse]

I liked the bit where he backheeled their goalie in the bollocks. If his first touch had been better he could’ve scored another the wage thieving cunt. In all seriousness if he stays fit for the season and pops up with a few important goals for the rest of the season you’d be happy with that wouldn’t you?

Him staying fit for the season however....

[magicrat]

1 hour ago, dick sack said:

I liked the bit where he backheeled their goalie in the bollocks. If his first touch had been better he could’ve scored another the wage thieving cunt. In all seriousness if he stays fit for the season and pops up with a few important goals for the rest of the season you’d be happy with that wouldn’t you?

Him staying fit for the season however....

I would have preferred he hadn't booted the keeper in the plums as that way the goal would have stood.

[LF:D]

I said in pre season on twitter that I wouldn't start him all season, I stand by that comment.

 

He's still a finisher.  But he can't do what we need as a starter, with the pressing, the energy needed.  I thought he was basically a cone at times vs PSG without the ball.  He was jogging, cutting off some passing lanes at times & sure most (maybe all) players would struggle to look good compared to Firmino in that regard.  But I really don't think his finishing ability is worth the lack of energy & discipline without the ball.

 

People will say he's better than Solanke - as a finisher, I agree.

 

In terms of suiting the way we play, Solanke >> Sturridge. 

 

Solanke will press, his movement will create gaps for Mane / Salah to exploit.  I feel that is just as important as getting the goals themselves.  As a lot of the time Firmino is creating space for Salah & Mane to thrive.  That's why if you look at the average positions of our players after a game it often shows Salah & Mane as the central strikers & Firmino very much behind them.

 

Pressing & energy are vital to our play.  Last season we beat Palace early on the season narrowly 1-0.  Mane got the goal, but it was because of Solanke pressing & winning the ball to create the chance.

 

I'd much rather see Solanke, Origi (Shaqiri would be my preference out of all three) starting games over Sturridge.

 

That doesn't mean Sturridge can't be useful.  If we needed a goal in the last 20 minutes, I'd be bring Sturridge off the bench over Solanke, Origi & Shaqiri (possibly depending on who was going off).  As he's still the most clinical & can be decisive, especially when the opposition are more tired.

 

I love Sturridge.  Find it really tough to watch this version of him, after we saw the incredible player under Rodgers with Suarez.  But I wouldn't start him again this season.  It's about the team & if you can't do the graft, you can forget about the craft.  For me should be an impact sub.   

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, LF:D said:

I said in pre season on twitter that I wouldn't start him all season, I stand by that comment.

 

He's still a finisher.  But he can't do what we need as a starter, with the pressing, the energy needed.  I thought he was basically a cone at times vs PSG without the ball.  He was jogging, cutting off some passing lanes at times & sure most (maybe all) players would struggle to look good compared to Firmino in that regard.  But I really don't think his finishing ability is worth the lack of energy & discipline without the ball.

 

People will say he's better than Solanke - as a finisher, I agree.

 

In terms of suiting the way we play, Solanke >> Sturridge. 

 

Solanke will press, his movement will create gaps for Mane / Salah to exploit.  I feel that is just as important as getting the goals themselves.  As a lot of the time Firmino is creating space for Salah & Mane to thrive.  That's why if you look at the average positions of our players after a game it often shows Salah & Mane as the central strikers & Firmino very much behind them.

 

Pressing & energy are vital to our play.  Last season we beat Palace early on the season narrowly 1-0.  Mane got the goal, but it was because of Solanke pressing & winning the ball to create the chance.

 

I'd much rather see Solanke, Origi (Shaqiri would be my preference out of all three) starting games over Sturridge.

 

That doesn't mean Sturridge can't be useful.  If we needed a goal in the last 20 minutes, I'd be bring Sturridge off the bench over Solanke, Origi & Shaqiri (possibly depending on who was going off).  As he's still the most clinical & can be decisive, especially when the opposition are more tired.

 

I love Sturridge.  Find it really tough to watch this version of him, after we saw the incredible player under Rodgers with Suarez.  But I wouldn't start him again this season.  It's about the team & if you can't do the graft, you can forget about the craft.  For me should be an impact sub.   

I'm not sure I agree with all of this, specifically re: Sturridge not pressing as much as Bobby. Certainly he doesn't, I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm not sure what the reason behind this is though. Is Sturridge literally unable to run as much as he should? Is he scared in case he gets injured? Is he simply out of practice? I actually think if given a run of games and he is able to hold up, he may get better at the pressing side of the game. I think back to the early stages of Klopp's reign and most of the players were struggling to press for the whole match and quite a few players were falling victim to injuries as a result.

 

If he has a chance to get involved in the first team more, perhaps he will get injured again as a result. Then again he may get more confidence and trust his body more to be able to press more and imagine the player he could be again? 

 

He deserves a chance to prove himself but I would also say that he shouldn't necessarily take Firmino's place when he is fit and available, just Sturridge should be given a chance when he isn't available.

[LF:D]

18 minutes ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

If he has a chance to get involved in the first team more, perhaps he will get injured again as a result. Then again he may get more confidence and trust his body more to be able to press more and imagine the player he could be again? 

It's a nice thought, but the reality is he's never going to be able to sprint like he used to be able to do, sadly.

 

He's a shadow of that Daniel Sturridge.  

[3 Stacks]

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[moof]

Fuck. Ing. Hell 

 

take a bow, son

[3 Stacks]

Can we get a comment from @Captain? 

[Grinch]

Smacking a ball like that is one way to get around not being able to run!  One of the sweetest strikes we'll see this season, especially considering the circumstances and who we signed him off.

[an tha]

Credit where due that was a top class strike tonight.

 

Fair do's to the lad.

[Anny Road]

He's dropped a good few pounds and is humble. Get at it lad.

[TheHowieLama]

Boss tha

[J-V]

That strike took the piss

[TheBitch]

It was disgustingly sexy.

[Elite]

He's making a difference this season, stunning goal today.