Topic: Sturridge to save our season?

[decosabute]

Until he tweaks his little toe and is out for another 12 weeks.

As part of my work I was chatting to an ex Liverpool star about 10 days ago. Won't name names, but let's just say he played for us in the 80s and 90s, still lives in the area, is heavily involved in media work mostly outside of Britain/Ireland, and is still well-connected to the club.

Anyway, he said to me that from what he understands, people inside the club are starting to get very annoyed at Sturridge because of his recovery patterns. The suggestion was definitely that he's taking far too long to nurse himself back to fitness and is too unwilling to play through even the slightest discomfort.

Now feel free to take this with a mountain of salt and I've no guarantee that it's gospel truth, but if it was even somewhat accurate, it's more than a little frustrating and tallies with the 'china doll' view of Sturridge that some have. It's also a bit worrying if/when he goes down with an injury again this season.

For that reason, I think the answer to the thread title is that even though he'll help a lot when fit, no, he can't be relied upon to save our season.

[mkingdon]

I expect us to improve a lot.

Having him back up top means that teams play us differently. They know he makes endless runs in behind, and so they have to cater for that. Mario stands still up against the CBs so they can push up and mark him. With Sturridge on the pitch (I hope alongside Mario) they won't be able to do that as he will exploit any space in behind.

All this in turn means we can play higher up, or you could say the opposition play deeper, and that suits our game and best players more.

Add to that the mental boost to the team and the fear factor for the opposing team and I think the impact will be big.

What we need is a "Sturridge clone" for when he gets injured. Berahaino??

[Carlito Roberto]

As part of my work I was chatting to an ex Liverpool star about 10 days ago. Won't name names, but let's just say he played for us in the 80s and 90s, still lives in the area, is heavily involved in media work mostly outside of Britain/Ireland, and is still well-connected to the club.

I'd imagine if Steve McMahon thinks that it probably has legs 

[Kelvinlfc]

The midfield only look shite because there is no movement up top, look how class Hendo looked last season playing all those through balls and running into spaces on the edge of the box. The spaces arent there now as we have nobody dragging defenders out of place like we had.

I think the two people that will benefit the most from Sturridge coming back are Hendo and Sterling.

[LiverpoolKopKings]

at best he can score 1/2 of what he scored last season due to missing 1/2 season. But realistically not even that due to a. he lost his lethal strike partner off which he fed a lot and got a lot of assists from b. our service to strike force this season at best its shite and in reality its shitier.

He'll help a bit, but for me there is are more fundamental issues.

The balance of the team has changed dramatically with suarez departure and new players coming in.
Our defensive problems have got even worse.
And I am hating myself as i speak, but I think we are accommodating Gerrard and in turn forcing Gerrard to adapt to a role not his.

[decosabute]

I'd imagine if Steve McMahon thinks that it probably has legs 

Not far off, but guess again.

[mkingdon]

As part of my work I was chatting to an ex Liverpool star about 10 days ago. Won't name names, but let's just say he played for us in the 80s and 90s, still lives in the area, is heavily involved in media work mostly outside of Britain/Ireland, and is still well-connected to the club.

Anyway, he said to me that from what he understands, people inside the club are starting to get very annoyed at Sturridge because of his recovery patterns. The suggestion was definitely that he's taking far too long to nurse himself back to fitness and is too unwilling to play through even the slightest discomfort.

Now feel free to take this with a mountain of salt and I've no guarantee that it's gospel truth, but if it was even somewhat accurate, it's more than a little frustrating and tallies with the 'china doll' view of Sturridge that some have. It's also a bit worrying if/when he goes down with an injury again this season.

For that reason, I think the answer to the thread title is that even though he'll help a lot when fit, no, he can't be relied upon to save our season.

Not doubting your source for a second, as clearly he thinks that, but I struggle to imagine Sturridge not wanting to play. Every time I see him sat in the stands he looks gutted not to be playing. Would he really miss Real Madrid in the CL if he was fit to play?

I have no facts here of course, but it just sounds a bit odd.

[Humperdinck]

Brilliant players paper over cracks in the rest of the team, always have, always will, I'm expecting him to do that because he's one of the top 10 strikers in the world.

[Vinay]

Of course not.

[decosabute]

Not doubting your source for a second, as clearly he thinks that, but I struggle to imagine Sturridge not wanting to play. Every time I see him sat in the stands he looks gutted not to be playing. Would he really miss Real Madrid in the CL if he was fit to play?

I have no facts here of course, but it just sounds a bit odd.

I don't think at all the suggestion was that he doesn't want to play, it's more that he's slightly diva-ish and precious about his recovery compared to the norm. I totally agree with you and I'm certain he wants to be back playing, but the player I spoke to was merely saying that the process of coming back is annoyingly slower with Sturridge because of a desire for everything to be physically perfect before he can play. It's for that reason that those inside the club are apparently getting impatient with him.

[jb2319]

What we need is a "Sturridge clone" for when he gets injured. Berahaino??

Origi? I'm guessing that's the plan anyway. He has a fairly similar style to Danny, although obviously much more raw at this point in his career.

[dumaten]

The midfield only look shite because there is no movement up top, look how class Hendo looked last season playing all those through balls and running into spaces on the edge of the box. The spaces arent there now as we have nobody dragging defenders out of place like we had.

I think the two people that will benefit the most from Sturridge coming back are Hendo and Sterling.

I agree, in the first 3 games this season when Sturridge was in the team Henderson and Sterling were our most influential creative players.

[mkingdon]

Origi? I'm guessing that's the plan anyway. He has a fairly similar style to Danny, although obviously much more raw at this point in his career.

Fair point. I was thinking for Jan to be honest.....

Borini to Sunderland, Berahaino to us??

[rocco]

Of course not.

Think he can if he we don't lose him for another long spell .

Just getting a decent striker in will make a difference but what Danny brings and suiting our system and the getting the best from other players like Coutinho will make a huge difference

[lastbaron]

Far too much pressure being put on him when he returns. He likely get injured again quite quickly if he's just started rather than being eased back into the team. Would be nice to get a couple of wins on the bounce with him coming on late when the job is done.

My thoughts exactly.

[has gone odd]

to come off a lengthy injury spell and perform like he did for a majority of last season is a very unreasonable expectation. if nothing else I hope he can bring out the best in balotelli.

unfortunately our problems are deeper than an injured player and to compound matters our confidence is also draining away. an outstanding January transfer window is what I pin hopes on, which after spending big in summer I cant see either.

[Upinsmoke]

It won't be enough for him alone. The others have to step-up.

[bird_lfc]

No pressure, Danny.

[carling]

I too am probably pinning a bit too much on Sturridge's return.  But at the same time I can't see how we won't be better with him in the side.

Even if he only gets the same amount of chances Balotelli has had recently, we'd at least be a few more goals and points better off.  That's before you talk about how many more chances he'll no doubt get because of his running, application, and the chances he fashions himself.

Trying not to get on Balotelli's back too much, but there is some gulf between Balotelli as a lone striker, and a Sturridge / Balotelli partnership or even Sturridge as a lone striker.  You can forget how Sturridge might help the rest of the team, our striking output shoots up the second he is involved.

Him improving us when he gets back is about as much of a cert as you can get... without going too overboard, it's more a question of how much he can improve us.  The sad part is I'm still not sure it will be enough to get us up into the Champions League spaces.

[NorthamptonKopite]

Wouldn't be surprised if it does fire us onto a great run. Our game relies on movement and goals, which Sturridge brings in abundance.

[DeLeiva]

I too am probably pinning a bit too much on Sturridge's return.  But at the same time I can't see how we won't be better with him in the side.

Even if he only gets the same amount of chances Balotelli has had recently, we'd at least be a few more goals and points better off.  That's before you talk about how many more chances he'll no doubt get because of his running, application, and the chances he fashions himself.

Trying not to get on Balotelli's back too much, but there is some gulf between Balotelli as a lone striker, or  even a Sturridge / Balotelli partnership or Sturridge lone striker.  You can forget how Sturridge might help the rest of the team, our striking output shoots up the second he is involved.

Him improving us when he gets back is about as much of a cert as you can get... without going too overboard, it's more a question of how much he can improve us.  The sad part is I'm still not sure it will be enough to get us up into the Champions League spaces.

Sturridge's conversation rate last season was 28%

Thus far Balotelli has 5.05 shots per 90 minutes 35.3% of those on target which means that it's 1.78 shots on goal per game.

11 league games at 1.78 = 19.58 shots on goal in the league this year.

Apply Sturridge's conversion rate (28%) to that and he would have 5.4 goals this year in the league, if it was him instead of Balotelli.

But of course Sturridge's conversation rate was in last years team with Luis etc.
Sooooo bored at work.... and probably used totally wrong maths for this too, but at least I had something to do for the last 5 minutes.

[SerbianScouser]

He`ll improve us dramatically and not because he`ll be scoring goals on his own while others continue to play like shit, no I expect to see a lot of improvement throughout the team as the likes of Coutinho, Sterling , Balotelli, Lallana will play better in a team than will have tactical balance because without Sturridge we`re like a car with 3 wheels.

Also if we start scoring goals it`ll be a huge lift for the entire team and confidence levels will rise which is incredibly important in football, so for me it`s not just having a player who stands out with his quality but I`m more looking at the likes of Sterling, Coutinho , Balotelli and expecting all of them to play much better than they have and I believe they will - so instead of 1 we`ll have 3-4 good match winners who are constantly chipping in with goals and assists and we may start looking like a top 4 team again.

[Lippy The Lion]

No offence to the OP, but thats one of the most depressing thread titles I've seen in a long while, esp. considering its early November

 

[Zlen]

No, and it says a lot that our manager is seemingly pinning all his hopes onto this happening.
He should be eased in and then carefully used. Having him fit and playing will help, but our problems are many and will need much, much more then simply having Sturridge back.

[Chakan]

Our movement upfront will be better, our defense will still be a shambles.

So we'll score 1 or 2 more, but still concede 1 or 2 at the back.

Last year we had Sturridge and Suarez both adding goals this year it will be just Sturridge.

[Vortigen]

We've got too many problems besides missing Sturridge.   It will be great being able to score goals though.

[Durlmints]

Maybe we could do with some organisation in midfield and defence?

That would also help our season.

[BazC]

To be honest just having him on the pitch should give that extra yard of space to Sterling and Balotelli. That'll be what brings out attack back not necessarily Daniels direct goals. Although we have missed his instinct in front of goal for sure.

[Chakan]

[JackWard33]

As part of my work I was chatting to an ex Liverpool star about 10 days ago. Won't name names, but let's just say he played for us in the 80s and 90s, still lives in the area, is heavily involved in media work mostly outside of Britain/Ireland, and is still well-connected to the club.

Anyway, he said to me that from what he understands, people inside the club are starting to get very annoyed at Sturridge because of his recovery patterns. The suggestion was definitely that he's taking far too long to nurse himself back to fitness and is too unwilling to play through even the slightest discomfort.

Now feel free to take this with a mountain of salt and I've no guarantee that it's gospel truth, but if it was even somewhat accurate, it's more than a little frustrating and tallies with the 'china doll' view of Sturridge that some have. It's also a bit worrying if/when he goes down with an injury again this season.

For that reason, I think the answer to the thread title is that even though he'll help a lot when fit, no, he can't be relied upon to save our season.

Player from yesteryear thinks modern footballers are soft SHOCKER

[JackWard33]

He's one of the best strikers in europe - you're still not allowed to say that, presumably because he's english or he got a mardy on at Chelsea or .... reasons - but he is so yes it's going to make a massive difference to us because you're going from having zero strikers effective at the PL level to having a sensational striker

[shawnk]

Doubt Sturridge could save us. I don't think he could score half of those goals he scored last season without Suarez's assists, influence off the ball creating the space and overall morale boost to the team when he's in the team. Hope I'm proven wrong but so far the team overly reliant on Suarez to carry them.

[Humperdinck]

Doubt Sturridge could save us. I don't think he could score half of those goals he scored last season without Suarez's assists, influence off the ball creating the space and overall morale boost to the team when he's in the team. Hope I'm proven wrong but so far the team overly reliant on Suarez to carry them.

Err he's got 10 goals in 12 league games without Suarez. He'll be just fine.

[DeLeiva]

Doubt Sturridge could save us. I don't think he could score half of those goals he scored last season without Suarez's assists, influence off the ball creating the space and overall morale boost to the team when he's in the team. Hope I'm proven wrong but so far the team overly reliant on Suarez to carry them.

Scored 4 goals in the first 4 league games without Luis.

[B0151?]

He`ll improve us dramatically and not because he`ll be scoring goals on his own while others continue to play like shit, no I expect to see a lot of improvement throughout the team as the likes of Coutinho, Sterling , Balotelli, Lallana will play better in a team than will have tactical balance because without Sturridge we`re like a car with 3 wheels.

Also if we start scoring goals it`ll be a huge lift for the entire team and confidence levels will rise which is incredibly important in football, so for me it`s not just having a player who stands out with his quality but I`m more looking at the likes of Sterling, Coutinho , Balotelli and expecting all of them to play much better than they have and I believe they will - so instead of 1 we`ll have 3-4 good match winners who are constantly chipping in with goals and assists and we may start looking like a top 4 team again.

Spot on mate

[SerbianScouser]

Scored 4 goals in the first 4 league games without Luis.

And now he`ll have Mario beside him who with all the criticism is still gonna attract/occupy a defender or two making even more space for Daniel.

[decosabute]

Player from yesteryear thinks modern footballers are soft SHOCKER

Well, actually if you read it, it's not him, but rather what he's heard from inside the club.

[Walk On]

He`ll improve us dramatically and not because he`ll be scoring goals on his own while others continue to play like shit, no I expect to see a lot of improvement throughout the team as the likes of Coutinho, Sterling , Balotelli, Lallana will play better in a team than will have tactical balance because without Sturridge we`re like a car with 3 wheels.

Also if we start scoring goals it`ll be a huge lift for the entire team and confidence levels will rise which is incredibly important in football, so for me it`s not just having a player who stands out with his quality but I`m more looking at the likes of Sterling, Coutinho , Balotelli and expecting all of them to play much better than they have and I believe they will - so instead of 1 we`ll have 3-4 good match winners who are constantly chipping in with goals and assists and we may start looking like a top 4 team again.

Agreed, and lets hope that it does.

Scary to think that we're pinning our hopes on a player who is know to have an injury record and that the current management and squad can't seem to find a way to make things work without him.

[JerseyKloppite]

SAS has become SOS...

[Crosby Nick]

SAS has become SOS...

We're relying on Sturridge and O'Shea when we play Sunderland?