Daniel Sturridge (Contract Expired)

Spot on Si. Injuries have finally caught up with him and it's a shame because if this lad didn't get the injuries he's had he could have been phenomenal. Also sad thing is I still think he could play well, he just needs to realise that he doesn't have to be selfish because the passes he can hit when he stops thinking of himself are sublime.

I doubt we'll see him change that side of his game though because for Studge it's a little too much about Studge and in truth probably always has been. (In his defence that is a trait of a lot of top strikers)

Yep.

I've always admired his selfish streak and still do if I'm honest but when he seems to have lost a bit of pace and actually is not the same player from a few years back then it isn't doing him any favours.

A shadow of the player he used to be, unfortunate the injuries have caught up on him.

Won't be here next season.

A lot of things in life I'm uncertain of but if it's one thing it's that he won't be here next season that's for sure.

That performance was reminiscent of Fernando Torres playing for Chelsea... just felt wrong and sad to see a great player turn into this, largely due to injuries.

I've always been a huge fan of Sturridge and would love to see him get back to previous form, but not looking likely right now.

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2017/01/statistics-show-daniel-sturridges-pace-decreased-every-season-liverpool/

im a sturry fan, think he has notched some lovely goals for us and shown real class at times

however he has been poor this season, doesnt seem to  fit the system (when were on song) and is injury prone

now the problem is.....he is still by far our best finisher. Firmino plays well through the middle as he runs and runs and has quality - but is not a natural finisher.

Ings has not had much of a chance due to injuries - but when he has played he looks like a squad player at best
Origi needs 73873 touches in the box before doing anything and looks far from good enough

so the idea of selling sturry and making another team stronger whilst we recruit more potential junk is frightening

That performance was reminiscent of Fernando Torres playing for Chelsea... just felt wrong and sad to see a great player turn into this, largely due to injuries.

I've always been a huge fan of Sturridge and would love to see him get back to previous form, but not looking likely right now.

I think he's finished unless he can remould his game. That being said I can't see him being here next season. I'm hoping we can sell him and bring in a forward.

Been a long time since we signed a striker destined straight for the first team, but I think the Summer is the time to do it.

im a sturry fan, think he has notched some lovely goals for us and shown real class at times

however he has been poor this season, doesnt seem to  fit the system (when were on song) and is injury prone

now the problem is.....he is still by far our best finisher. Firmino plays well through the middle as he runs and runs and has quality - but is not a natural finisher.

Ings has not had much of a chance due to injuries - but when he has played he looks like a squad player at best
Origi needs 73873 touches in the box before doing anything and looks far from good enough

so the idea of selling sturry and making another team stronger whilst we recruit more potential junk is frightening

Still 10 less than what Emre Can needs to make a pass!

Have you seen this?

Love sturridge to bits, but his legs have gone. One injury hit too many.

Same happened to me with my cycling and my back. After extended periods of injury, you just don't come back the same, regardless of the effort you put in.

Shame, because his skill is sublime and generally his finishing is top notch. But lack of pace and now lack of service  and play time is destroying his confidence. Deserves better IMO..

Deserves a run in the side now.

I'd personally drop Firmino and get Danny playing. But that's the correct decision, so I don't expect the comment to be liked.

Sturridge's style, relying on instinct and a glorious natural talent, also seems to be an uneasy fit with what Klopp requires.
Despite words of support from his manager, he now seems incapable of operating at the level of full-throttle intensity demanded by the German.

The statistics again back up the theory.

He recovers possession less often than any other Liverpool player and wins fewer duels against opponents than any other outfield player at Anfield.

These are two key components of the classic Klopp tactical plan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38784286

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher delivered a forensic critique of Sturridge's current status in his role as a Sky Sports pundit after the loss to Southampton.

"Sturridge is not the player to run in behind," said Carragher, "so you can forget about him replacing Mane. All he does is come to feet now.

"More often than not you cannot question his finishing but he doesn't do anything else in a game now, whereas he did when he first arrived.

"That's the case with that type of striker now. If they're not a target man or don't run in behind, everything has got to be put on a plate.

"So when he doesn't score you're basically down to 10 men because they're not offering anything else whatsoever."

http://talksport.com/football/brendan-rodgers-theres-no-doubting-daniel-sturridges-goalscoring-ability-he-has-give-more#remEPfORSTRpccOt.99

Rodgers, who admitted he often found it difficult to accommodate Sturridge in his Liverpool line-up, told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: “Daniel will always get goals, he is that quality, but it's about trying to fit it into the way your team works.

“That wasn’t easy to do when I was at Liverpool. We always had to find a way to fit him in the team.

“Sometimes he was out wide with Luis Suarez central and other games he was central and Luis was wide. There was always a conundrum there because you want to be aggressive and press the game and there are certain areas of the pitch where you always have to look - if Daniel is in the team - where you can and can’t press.

"There is no doubting his goalscoring ability but a number nine in the modern game now has to give more than that.

“I brought him into the club because I wanted to build a team that was fast, dynamic, unpredictable, had power and pace and Daniel gave us all of that. He joined us in the January and for the next 18 months he was incredible.

“He has the talent to be one of the best players and strikers in the world, but the best players in the world are available. You look at Suarez, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo - they play games.

"They are churning out 50, 60 games a season, plus international games, so you have to be available. If he is available and he is fighting and pressing and running, everything else comes natural to him.”

Sturridge's style, relying on instinct and a glorious natural talent, also seems to be an uneasy fit with what Klopp requires.
Despite words of support from his manager, he now seems incapable of operating at the level of full-throttle intensity demanded by the German.

The statistics again back up the theory.

He recovers possession less often than any other Liverpool player and wins fewer duels against opponents than any other outfield player at Anfield.

These are two key components of the classic Klopp tactical plan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38784286

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher delivered a forensic critique of Sturridge's current status in his role as a Sky Sports pundit after the loss to Southampton.

"Sturridge is not the player to run in behind," said Carragher, "so you can forget about him replacing Mane. All he does is come to feet now.

"More often than not you cannot question his finishing but he doesn't do anything else in a game now, whereas he did when he first arrived.

"That's the case with that type of striker now. If they're not a target man or don't run in behind, everything has got to be put on a plate.

"So when he doesn't score you're basically down to 10 men because they're not offering anything else whatsoever."

First one sums it up so well and provides an insight into what many of us have been saying. When you combine that with the fact that his pace has all but disappeared then unfortunately for us and Studge the real solution is to find someone who does fit with our way more than he does.

Had a chat with a couple of Spurs fans the other day about Sturridge and Suarez, and it got me thinking, well, reminiscing on 13/14 season, then it hit me... does anyone remember when Sturridge returned from a 3 month lay off and Suarez got shafted as the roaming forward and his form dipped considerably compared to when he was the main #9.

Present day, same happens with Firmino when Sturridge gets called back into the team. Seems like other #9's  find it difficult in playing along side Sturridge.

Had a chat with a couple of Spurs fans the other day about Sturridge and Suarez, and it got me thinking, well, reminiscing on 13/14 season, then it hit me... does anyone remember when Sturridge returned from a 3 month lay off and Suarez got shafted as the roaming forward and his form dipped considerably compared to when he was the main #9.

Present day, same happens with Firmino when Sturridge gets called back into the team. Seems like other #9's  find it difficult in playing along side Sturridge.

It was blatantly obvious in the return game against Southampton that the two of them don't match. You could constantly see them picking up the same spaces in the middle, almost running into each other at times. It forced Firmino to move out wide a lot of the time (mostly to the right).

Sturridge is a brilliant player, but it takes a certain type of player to play along side him. As a lone striker in a 4-3-3 it doesn't work for me. He has to have a partner up front with him (referring to the Southampton game last season when he played with Origi). As Rodgers said, you know you're going to get goals from him, but other than that, certainly in the way we set up, he doesn't offer much else. He is so easily pushed off the ball and you can tell he is sh*t scared of getting injured again. He's always pulling out of challenges and that sprint down the line in the second half was just painful to look at, nearly pulled my own hammy looking at it.

I don't blame the lad though, I'd be trying to protect my own body too after the numerous injuries he has suffered, but he doesn't offer enough anymore in his overall play to be starting games for us, which truely is a shame as he was absolutely amazing in the '13-'14 season and in small spells the season after.

Had a chat with a couple of Spurs fans the other day about Sturridge and Suarez, and it got me thinking, well, reminiscing on 13/14 season, then it hit me... does anyone remember when Sturridge returned from a 3 month lay off and Suarez got shafted as the roaming forward and his form dipped considerably compared to when he was the main #9.

Present day, same happens with Firmino when Sturridge gets called back into the team. Seems like other #9's  find it difficult in playing along side Sturridge.

Good observation that .   

http://talksport.com/football/brendan-rodgers-theres-no-doubting-daniel-sturridges-goalscoring-ability-he-has-give-more#remEPfORSTRpccOt.99

Rodgers, who admitted he often found it difficult to accommodate Sturridge in his Liverpool line-up, told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: “Daniel will always get goals, he is that quality, but it's about trying to fit it into the way your team works.

“That wasn’t easy to do when I was at Liverpool. We always had to find a way to fit him in the team.

“Sometimes he was out wide with Luis Suarez central and other games he was central and Luis was wide. There was always a conundrum there because you want to be aggressive and press the game and there are certain areas of the pitch where you always have to look - if Daniel is in the team - where you can and can’t press.

"There is no doubting his goalscoring ability but a number nine in the modern game now has to give more than that.

“I brought him into the club because I wanted to build a team that was fast, dynamic, unpredictable, had power and pace and Daniel gave us all of that. He joined us in the January and for the next 18 months he was incredible.

“He has the talent to be one of the best players and strikers in the world, but the best players in the world are available. You look at Suarez, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo - they play games.

"They are churning out 50, 60 games a season, plus international games, so you have to be available. If he is available and he is fighting and pressing and running, everything else comes natural to him.”

An interesting observation from Brendan who originally did not want Sturridge.

I think Sturridge proved him wrong in sensational style with his sublime form in 13/14 (and he was the only real bit of quality in 14/15) but to get the very best out of Sturridge, he needs to be playing alongside truly world class players like Suarez who can negate any shortcomings.

Managers just don't seem to find him flexible enough for the modern game, a real shame as he is an astounding technically gifted talent who I've always been a big fan of. The way its going though, I just can't see him being here beyond summer.

Missed a couple of half chances in the Saints match, but neither was a good a chance as Firmino got v Chavs.
Still think he can do a job, particularly in home matches when teams come and do the usual.

But with so games left now, reckon Jürgen will go with Cou/Firmino/Mane in as many as he can.
Could be slim pickins for Studge for rest of 2017.

Thought I might throw this out for stat fans. Since signing for us, he has basically had 4 seasons and 105 games, and in those 105 games, he has only started 23 or 25 (can't remember exactly the number the commentator threw out) games.

Edit: I think it could be 23-25 games that lasted 90 mins.

https://twitter.com/TheAnfieldWrap/status/830512745959264256

Any truth in the rumours sturridge strained his hip having a sh*t when he was ill.

Any truth in the rumours sturridge strained his hip

https://youtu.be/nKUGSlv0Bo8