Sturridge provided everyone - Jurgen Klopp included - with a timely reminder of his abilities in the trip to Chester on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old (yes, he is still just 28) had moved to the Hawthorns on loan earlier this season in order to find regular football and force his way back into the England set-up, but while Gareth Southgate's team were defeating Sweden in Russia, Sturridge was lining up at the Swansway Chester Stadium. If Sturridge was hurting, he took it all out on the over-matched non-league side, ruthlessly helping Liverpool put Chester to the sword with two goals in a 7-0 thrashing, the second strike a particular highlight And yes, it was just Chester in a friendly in which fitness was the priority over form. But crucially, Sturridge looked fit and strong - something Liverpool fans have waited a long time to see. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spo...niel-sturridge-become-problem-jurgen-14880642
and then we will have this conversation in 3 weeks from now, then 3 months, and then when he has missed 50% of the games overall as usual.... poor guy - he just can't be relied on at all.
Quite probably,newt . Prior to the Chester game I was thinking the same , I'd pretty much not given Sturridge a second thought. For me he was done , a crock who couldn't play 5 mins for Wba last season . Then watching the game the first thing that struck me was how lean and fit he looked , probably the best physical condition he's looked for a long time. Then it was how well he actually performed on the pitch , granted v a weak opposition but his touches and vision were of high quality. So now he's got me second guessing and thinking of what if. What if Studge can stay fit as back up to Bobby? I think its a given that Bobby will play the lions share of games this season so is there room for Sturridge until at least Jan? Brewster who we are led to believe will be given games this season as Klopp persuaded him to re-sign this summer is not expected to be available to start the season as he recovers from his ankle surgery. Studge is certainly head and shoulders a better finisher than Origi or Solanke . He's only 28 still , we already own him so costs us nothing but salary . All I'm saying is I agree with the article that if Sturridge continues to play like he did v Chester ,performs at a high level and stays fit then he might be difficult for Klopp to ignore . He's doesn't have the electric pace like our front three but in games v packed def he has the skills to open them up. The injury history is definitely a massive caveat but on the other hand a fit effective Sturridge could be a huge threat in the Lfc attack. I think Sturridge will need to go the extra mile to convince Klopp over the next month and that includes staying fit but if his attitude and performance v Chester are anything to go by I wouldn't rule him out just yet..
I was thinking the same, however we have been here 10 times before. He shows flashes of his quality, but then when we really need him he is never fit. He was really outstanding against Chester. As good a 45 minutes you could have in a meaningless preseason game against non league opposition.
Jesus, y'all are like a bunch of battered wives. "Maybe THIS time he'll be different..." Don't fall for it, Susan!
this is it. a player of his skills should look good in this situation ! I can't see Klopp keeping him around at all, even for a short time. we have Solanke, Origi and others whose progress shouldn't be held up. right now Studge is in the shop window is all. another aspect is what does he want - he moved to WB where he thought he'd get starts. my guess is he doesn't want to be anyone's sub, will want to move where they are likely / promise to start him.
Of course yet Solanke,Origi and Ings all looked pretty average in the same game . Its not just because he dominated v a non league club , all of our players should have done that . Once again it was a number of things ie his performance , his obvious fitness-the guy has definitely seen a lot of gym time over the off season , his touches on the ball including some clever dink balls into the box. All in all it was a display of individual quality from a guy I'd written off. Where he goes from here is anyones guess but as I said if he continues like this the coaches will have some thinking to do , whether its worth keeping him for the final year of his contract. But at the least we might be able to get more for him if we sell.
Glad to see Studge do well. I'm in the camp of hoping these outings - if they continue - will help us recover a bit of what we've paid for him. I really don't see the guy holding together for any length of time at this point, especially against higher quality competition. Sad to write this but we've all seen the Sturridge movie many times over - great flashes separated by long periods on the treatment table.
planning your striker options around Sturridge's fitness is like planning your retirement around success on the lottery.
Klopp will plan around Firmino as #1, its who will back up Bobby. He'll have to choose from Ings, Solanke, Origi, Sturridge and Brewster unless we buy. Any or all of Ings, Origi and Sturridge could be sold. Solanke could be loaned and Brewster is still out injured . Ings- not good enough. Origi- has not progressed much from when we signed him Solanke - good prospect but needs games to develop , couldn't score last year Brewster- raw and coming off a long spell out with injury Sturridge head and shoulders superior to all but has a horrendous injury record. All are good players but none of them inspire massive confidence in me for various reasons and this season if we're to make a serious run at the title we'll need whoever covers for when Firmino is not playing to contribute.
I think so too , Sam. I also think Klopp really wants to give Brewster a chance this season , his style suits our set up but I'm not sure when he'll be ready to go again. The preseason is going to be critical for many of these guys as to who can impress Klopp the most .
Unfortunately, we don’t need reminding. We know what he can do, just as much as the infrequency of his availability to do it.
I think Klopp will be watching his attackers very closely over the next month or so .The back up role is there for the taking .
I can see Sturridge in a role with Brewster as "third choice"...we've seen the quality in Studge...it's just his fitness and glass body...but I think if Klopp can go with him and a youngster - he would do that over an expensive alternative...
Add Harrry Wilson to the list. I don’t think you have to distinguish between centerforwards and wingers, because Salah and Mane can both play through the middle if needed. Harry Wilson can score goals from a wide role and has good movement. Those characteristics are more important to our squad than what Origi and Solanke offer. Perhaps the best thing for Sturridge is to play for 10-15 minutes at a time as a substitute, with a rare start here and there. It’s not realistic for him to go to a West Brom where he would be expected to carry their attack and keep them in the Premier League. If we kept Sturridge around, we certainly wouldn’t be relying on him. If he is willing to accept a minor role he could be a good option on the bench.
You could go that way , Suss but I think switching like that is a more effective tactic within a game in order to mess with the opponents def. My belief and this was my experience when coaching too is that consistency is the key . Changes where necessary of course but try to stick with what works as much as possible. For example if Bobby is out then replacing him with another #9 means just one change. If we switch Salah into the middle then add a new player on the right now we've made two changes just to replace one injured player. It's not necessarily a problem but I'd prefer to have a proper cover in each position including # 9 be that Brewster , Solanke , Sturridge etc. HarryW might be a good cover for Salah or Mane if he can stake his claim this preseason .
That makes sense, but no other player can even come close to replicate what Bobby Firmino does for the team. Towards the end of last season Klopp started playing Salah through the middle more and more, even with Firmino on the field.
True Bobby is unique in his style as a #9. Brewster may make a good option , he's a very mobile striker. What do you think of Woodburns chances of sticking with the first ream this season?
I think Klopp sees him as part of the midfield 3 in a Lallana type role. He looks a lot bigger from the last time I saw him. If we sign another attacking midfielder (Fekir or anyone else) it would seem impossible for Woodburn to get games. A loan this season could make sense. The challenge is finding an appropriate place for him to go on loan. He would have to go somewhere that plays good football, because he wouldn’t be very useful to the teams in the Premier League who play with such negative tactics.
Yeah, thought the same , Woodburn looks like a man now not a boy . Defo needs a good loan , maybe join Grujic at Cardiff?