Now or never for Daniel Sturridge to re-establish himself at Liverpool
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After scoring against Huddersfield at the weekend, Daniel Sturridge is hoping for an opportunity to build on it and re-establish himself as Liverpool's main striker.
The odds seem stacked against him but if he's going to force his way back into Jurgen Klopp's first choice lineup, this coming week could be his best -- and possibly last -- opportunity to do so.
With Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana all sidelined, Sturridge was handed a rare Premier League start last weekend and responded by netting the decisive opener that set the Reds on their way to a 3-0 win.
The injured trio are all expected back after the international break, so that potentially gives Sturridge two more games to make himself "undroppable."
Firstly, he will be desperate to retain his place for Wednesday's Champions League group fixture with Maribor, as potentially he could fill his boots against the team who Liverpool beat 7-0 a few weeks ago.
Then it's a trip to West Ham on Saturday, a fixture that will hold good memories for Sturridge, who scored in a 4-0 victory there back in May. If selected in these games, he has to take full advantage.
After the win over Huddersfield, the England man said all the right things: "It's about getting that rhythm, that flow. For myself, I feel like I'm best when I'm playing regularly. But the manager picks the team and I'll never cause any issues or problems in the camp because he's the boss, I have a lot of respect for him and for his decisions.
"When I go on to the pitch it's important for me to show what I can do. It doesn't matter how many minutes you get, you've got to put your best foot forward and show what you can do for the team. I'm grateful for his faith in me today and hopefully I've repaid him with the goal."
Sturridge hasn't been a regular starter in a long time but he's correct in saying he hasn't caused any issues. He's never spoken out of turn publicly and there have been no indications or rumours of him complaining to Klopp about a lack of playing time either.
That said, he can't be happy about not playing and presumably won't accept this situation indefinitely, but then he must also know that to this point he's not done enough to have any legitimate grievance.
Daniel Sturridge scored his 100th club goal in Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Huddersfield.
Sturridge was injured when Klopp arrived and he's been injured much of the time since. Even when he has been on the field, he has rarely hit the heights he had previously.
He still shows occasional tantalising flashes of the lethal front man he once was and when that happens it's only natural for supporters (and possibly Klopp) to hope he's on the way back to being that player again. The flashes have been too fleeting, though, and it's looking increasingly likely that even at just 28, his best days may already be behind him.
Sturridge made a blistering start to his Anfield career and his first 18 months at the club were a resounding success. In that time he managed 35 goals in 49 games. In the three and a bit years since, he has netted 27 goals in 71 games. Not the worst strike rate in the world, especially as many of those appearances have come from the substitutes' bench, but it's still a significant drop-off and the paltry appearances total says it all.
The Sturridge of three or four years ago walks into most teams, including this Liverpool one. The player we see today is a different beast, though, and is now at a crossroads. It really feels like it's now or never for Sturridge if he's going to re-establish himself as Liverpool's No. 1 centre-forward.
Klopp prefers Roberto Firmino as his No. 9 and will almost always find room for the Brazilian somewhere in his forward line. That has left Sturridge with limited opportunities to start, usually only in cup games when Firmino is rested or in the fixtures when other attackers have been unavailable and Firmino has been asked to fill a different role.
When everyone is available Sturridge has usually been the odd man out. Perhaps he would look more like "the old Sturridge" if he was flanked by Mane and Mohamed Salah, with Coutinho and Lallana in midfield creating chances for him? We haven't seen that because of Klopp's understandable preference for Firmino.
How can Sturridge change that? Goals. Lots of goals. That's the only way. Whether he still has it in him to do that remains to be seen, but this week should see him get the chance to try.
Dave Usher is one of ESPN's Liverpool bloggers and the founder of LFC fanzine and website The Liverpool Way. Follow him on Twitter: @theliverpoolway.
Source: espn.co.uk
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