For some time there have been increased speculation about Daniel Sturridge leaving Liverpool after he has become more of a bench warmer in the Merseyside. He is not even the shadow of his former self, the self that ripped apart defences with Luis Suarez by his side in the 2013-14 season when Liverpool ‘slipped’ right at the final moment to let Manchester City win the title after coming painfully close.
The striker was never the same since then. He again fell in love with his injuries and this time it was more addictive than ever. Sturridge’s face, when he found out Origi going in in place of him, had become quite an element of humour on the internet. In fact, when the camera focuses on him sitting on the bench, it’s often a melancholic look on his face.
With Brendan Rodgers gone, his chances further diminished as Jürgen Klopp’s style of play has never suited his football prowess. He had also reportedly expressed his ‘unhappiness’ at Liverpool after getting less playing time.
Klopp always plays a pressing game where the strikers when not on the ball keeps hunting the defenders to get it back. The aim is to create enough pressure for the opponent to make a mistake. Sturridge is not that kind of a player. He is skilled up front, no doubt about that but he is too lazy to track back when he is off the ball. Although Klopp played down such rumours.
The philosophy of Rodgers and Klopp are highly different on fundamental levels. What Sturridge really needed now was to evolve himself for the team, which he is unwilling to.
There is no such thing as a preferred position in football today. The best example would be of James Milner. The England midfielder had aspirations of anchoring the national team’s midfield but now he plays as a side back for Liverpool. And he is extremely praised for that. He has adapted for the team. The same can be said of Firmino, Lallana, Coutinho and Wijnaldum who have been rotated around the pitch. Sturridge, on the other hand, is not all that versatile and that could be the final nail in his coffin.
With Sturridge slowly but surely coming of age, where he could no more depend on sprinting faster than his mark man and sliding the ball in, it is high time he should ponder over his other abilities. His selfishness has been well-documented and even though his poaching abilities are incredible, he needs to mend his game.
Liverpool have been linked with many strikers in the recent weeks like Inaki Williams and Lorenzo Insigne, and Klopp is clearly looking to add ammunition up front who would be equally active both on and off the ball.
A move to a different club? Sure. But will he find the crème de la crème running for his signature keeping in mind his selfishness and work rate? Unlikely.
