Things started to fall into place at Anfield this time last year as Liverpool went on some sort of a berserk goal fest that almost won them their first Premier league title in over two decades. Brendan Rodgers got his team play a brand of football that was devilishly exciting and nerve-racking at times for the supporters but a sheer spectacle for football fans all over the world, primarily based on the predatory goal scoring abilities of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. The pair scored 52 goals between them and though Suarez often grabbed the headlines for various reasons, his partner in crime Daniel Sturridge played nothing short of a pivotal role in that second half of last season where he managed to establish himself as one of the best forwards in the league, if not the best, after a largely disappointing stint at Chelsea.
Sturridge scored a total of 21 goals last campaign in just 29 appearances, only behind his compatriot Luis Suarez on the goal scoring charts and also managed to create 7 other goals for his teammates as such. His movement and impact in and around the box is well documented and the fact that he attempted a total of 99 shots in 29 games with an accuracy of 50% is a testament to his contribution to Liverpool’s attack last season, which also papered over much of their frailties at the back. More often than not, Liverpool literally managed to outscore the opposition and made the final score look more like what we would witness after a competitive set of tennis. What is more striking than all these numbers is, when Sturridge missed a run of 8 games due to injury last campaign, Liverpool did struggle to some extent where they lost 3 games against Hull in early December, plus Chelsea and Manchester City during the festive period.
Such has been his importance in the playing eleven since he signed for the Merseysiders that Liverpool are now learning their lessons the hard way now that Liverpool are 10 points and 4 places worse off than this stage last season. Sturridge has only played in 3 league games this season, and the failure to replace him on the pitch in terms of goals, movement and whatever he usually brings to the table has had a marked effect on the league standings where Liverpool are now placed eighth, 5 points off the all important fourth spot. In Europe, the club failed to progress in the Champions League after finishing third in a group from which they were expected to qualify for the knockout stages, something that can also be put down to the prolonged absence of their best forward.
It could have all unfolded better had Sturridge duly returned in November as expected but things only got worse for him and Liverpool after the forward suffered another injury to his thigh during training that has kept him out so far and so long. Liverpool failed to find the net in games they tended to dominate for longer periods and it was hard to swallow for many Liverpool fans after watching their team score 4 goals in the opening 20 minutes against a side as good as Arsenal for instance, some 10 months ago. Of all the points they dropped prior to December, the 6 points they dropped against Sunderland, Arsenal and Leicester could prove very costly if Brendan Rodgers does not find a solution to Liverpool’s lack of a killer instinct in front of goal, going into the second half of the season. The manager also realised the difference the injured forward could have made against Arsenal, as he spoke with a tinge of optimism in his post match press conference. About the chances of breaking into the top four he said:
“It is always going to be a big challenge and of course we have to make up points, but we have shown that this is a club that can go on a run of games. In the second half of last season, we went on a run of 11 wins and the most important thing is the confidence. Bring Sturridge back in January and we can get back to being that team. His rehab has been done in Los Angeles and he is now going to Boston and he will move on to a specialist facility there. Hopefully in the early part of the New Year, he will be back. At some point in January, we will get him back.”
With Sturridge set to be back from February, the manager is expected to buy a replacement – to a right a wrong – by signing an able forward in January to provide good cover for Sturridge when he is injured and also suits the playing style that Brendan Rodgers wants to implement at Liverpool. Having said that, Balotelli is by no means a poor footballer, but the fact that he has not been able to fit himself in that Liverpool side with all the quick players in the middle, is glaringly obvious. To put things in perspective, Daniel Sturridge has scored more goals than Mario Balotelli and he’s been out of the picture since the start of September. If you’re not convinced yet, he can do this.
Liverpool have started to create enough chances to win in the last few fixtures and are lacking the lethal edge up front that almost always dragged them over the finish line last season. There should be light at the end of the tunnel as Daniel Sturridge is approaching full fitness and with a host of games set to be played between February and May there is no reason why they cannot go on a winning run similar to that of last season. A top four finish is still very much a realistic target to go after for Liverpool and with a fit Sturridge and a more productive January window, they will be a different proposition. As the cliche goes, only time will tell.
