“NOW I know what everybody is talking about.” You can interpret Jürgen Klopp’s quip post six goals at Southampton in two ways.
The first is the realisation that statistically the finest goals-to-game finisher in Liverpool Football Club’s history of competing in the Premier League is exactly as talented as his record suggests.
The second is the acceptance of an inevitable theme throughout Daniel Sturridge’s career, that his struggle with injuries and inability to stay fit equates his name with unreliability as much as brilliance.
But that should not mean he is deserving of the continual denunciation from a section of our support.
3 – Daniel Sturridge has completed 90 minutes in three of Liverpool's last 47 Premier League games. Fleeting.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 17, 2015
Each return is greeted with an outpouring of scepticism and rightly so, but with every relapse comes unwarranted ridicule from throughout the club’s all-knowing Twitterati.
Yes, building a team around Sturridge is nigh on impossible when injury restricts him to cameos. But, when fit, the striker elevates the potential of others, his presence often dictating the form of those behind him.
He illuminates a game with his undoubted natural ability and alleviates our goal-scoring deficiency with the kind of prolificacy that’s hard bought throughout Europe. That cannot be argued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLDiODdTfaA
The finest goals-to-game finisher in the Premier League era comes with its caveats. It writes off huge chunks of club history for a start. But to race to 33 goals in 50 league games, the equal of Fernando Torres, and only topped by George Allan (40, 1898), Jack Parkinson (35, 1906), Tony Rowley (34, 1957) and Jimmy Ross (34, 1896) shows the quality of the man.
Sturridge’s stats of 2013-14 read 33 appearances, 25 goals. That’s what he can do. Back in September, two goals from Sturridge versus Aston Villa took his numbers to 37 goals in 57 appearances. The Mirror reported that took his goals-per-game ratio to 0.65 — better than Torres, better than Suarez. Comprehend that.
Think of the goals. The shots, the shuffle. That dance. Think of how you felt when he scored against Manchester United, against Everton, against Arsenal and that stunning chip versus West Brom. How you felt when his showcase at Southampton sent a reminder to anyone who had doubted him.
So why do some treat him with such disdain? Why tweet him your view that more rehabilitation is “a waste of time” or that “the pain is in his head”?
Why spam his Instagram with abuse or tweet another joke about children visiting him in Alder Hey or mock his God? Do you think he’s laughing through all this? It’s embarrassing and illustrates the impatience and increasingly fickle, impulsive nature of the modern fan behind a keyboard.
“Sell him, he’s on high wages! Recoup the money to sign someone with the right mentality, someone who cares!”
Not helped by the Danny Ings injury, the inexperience of Divock Origi and the unpredictability of the performances of Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke, constantly pinning our dreams on a Sturridge return sees anger amplified when his respite from the sidelines is short lived.
That’s not the striker’s fault, rather a reflection of the difficulties the club have faced in signing a forward that could be deemed a success, with none of note arriving at Anfield since Sturridge signed in January 2013.
Knowing what he can produce, why are we so quick to write off talent that we’d pay tens of millions attempting to replicate, with the replacement unlikely to produce the return Sturridge has in red? Why are we so quick to place blame on him when his injuries have included ankle ligament damage, hamstring injuries and time out after a hip operation?
Whatever questions have been raised around his attitude, they are not injuries any player is shrugging off.
Daniel Sturridge wants to play football for Liverpool. Footballers relish playing, they enjoy training with their team-mates rather than rehabilitating on their own. Internationals like Sturridge will also aim to ensure they’re fit and firing to guarantee a place at the European Championships while closer to home he must be desperate to impress a new manager who is world renowned for his success.
“You can’t rely on him. The clubs needs to make a decision now about whether you can have a player who is one of your top earners, who only plays half the games. He is a luxury Liverpool can’t afford.”
That was Didi Hamann on TalkSport. Yet where is the sense in selling a player that we signed for £12million and is now contracted to the club until 2019 after signing a new deal last October? We’d be lucky to recoup that money while he is injured and who is buying? Which club is interested and which club interests Sturridge?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcUt44tYz8w
Outrage over his wage is also ludicrous, unless you’re paying him yourself. He was offered a contract, he signed it, and he’s not going to agree to a “pay as you play” deal retrospectively.
Fit and firing, he remains Liverpool’s most valuable asset and his contract reflects that, despite earning less than each of the highest paid players at the clubs the Reds are aspiring to better.
So colour my optimism blind, but at £8m a year, I’d rather roll the dice in the hope that we might see 20 starts a season — because 20 starts yields 15 goals, and Liverpool are still struggling to score them.
“It is heartbreakingly painful to have this taste of honey taken away from you, time and time again. This glimpse of an incredible footballer and you can’t have him.”
That was Rob Guttman summing up the situation perfectly on the TAW Unwrapped podcast. He’s ours, he’s perfect but we can’t have him. And we want him all of the time. As a player that adds consummate elegance while guaranteeing goals — if not games — why give up on him now?
Look at the stats again, you know what he can do.
The reliance placed upon the shoulders of Sturridge is unhealthy and that is up to Klopp to dispel, but so are the outside insinuations questioning his commitment and character. Quit the snide remarks and rally behind a player who when fit can be used to sprinkle magic on an 11 rather than be relied upon as a talisman.
The influence of Sturridge is more than metrical. If firing as part of Liverpool’s 11, expectancy rises and our optimism soars while opponents fear the worst. And that’s priceless. Pain is subjective. Fans are speculative. We don’t know what Daniel is feeling, physically and mentally, and shouldn’t pretend to, no matter the frustrations.
What a shame it would be if Sturridge continued to be cursed with perennial niggles and prohibited from realising the kind of potential that should see him placed as one of the elite of European football and for Liverpool.
What a shame it would be if my optimism was proved wrong by the unforgiving impatience of our all-knowing Twitterati.
So go ‘ed, Daniel, get better, score the goal, do the dance and we’ll all go to town.
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: Propaganda-Photo–David Rawcliffe
I agree Daniel Sturridge is amazing, LFC need to show their skill by using their knowledge to find a training scheme that can make him more robust, durable and fit. Remember Van Persie, he was always injured for Arsenal. They sold him to the Mancs and he won them a league title. Sturridge will over come these injuries, so support and encourage him. I admire his belief in God, fools say in their heart there is no God. Big up Sturridge!!!
I really think Gerrard’s comments in his most recent book – suggesting he had to beg Sturridge to play through the pain, unlike with Suarez – have made things a lot worse. Now there’s a feeling amongst many (on social media especially) that maybe he’s not really injured, just doesn’t fancy it if he’s not 100%.
To be fair SG talked some shite in his book.
agreed. trying to sell the book obviously…(that took away a bit of respect that I have always had for StevieG, which he wouldn’t give a damn obviously :)
The fact that we are hurting about Daniel injury problems only goes to show our over reliance on him and speaks volumes about us having no other talent upfront better than him. Have we arrived at a place where we are asking Daniel to walk alone? This is not like the liverpool i have grown up supporting and one that has stuck together even in difficult times. Daniel needs our love, he needs our patience and support especially at this time. Tell me which one of us would love to be in hospital most of the time recovering from one illness after another? Unless you are mad. Daniel will back scoring goals for fun for a club i have no doubt he loves so much and one he would not love to defraud. YNWA Daniel. Some of us love you as much as we love this great club.
Finding a quality striker that fits a team’s system is incredibly tough(Balotelli, Lambart,Benteke(?)) and not just economically. We have a world class forward in Sturridge and we must support him through these tough periods. We have offloaded a lot of senior players down the last couple of years, consuming huge wages, so if FSG offered Daniel a great package, it’s his reward for stunning on field performances and should not concern fan base.
After all it’s his goals and not the paycheck that determines his value in our squad and to be fair, he has got that flair which we so desparately lack in the final third.
This is a brilliant article, I couldn’t agree with the sentiments more. While I totally get the frustrations of many fans, I can’t get my head round selling him, assuming another club wants to buy him right now given his injury record. And having signed a deal until 2019 he’s not going to be sold cheap anyway. Personally though I’d much rather keep him, hope we can get him right and playing more than he doesn’t and watch him dancing an awful lot more for us.
Spot on Craig, he’s a world-class talent who has been ill-served by former team mates, managers and supporters. Get behind him. He’s worth it.
Yeah I think I like him too much to give up on him. ‘YNWA’ and all that.
Robin crimes said in a recent comment about us being in need of a Torres and when he’s fit Sturridge is 07/08 Torres. He’s just brilliant and you’ve got to keep the faith in that sort of brilliance.
Apart from the fact I’d been preparing to write a piece saying the exact same things, I could not be happier about this article. Nice one Craig. Spot on.
Could you imagine if we sold him to someone like Spurs, and then had to watch him bang them in and wiggle his arms in another shirt, more than likely propelling above us in the table. Doesn’t bear thinking about.
The idea that he’s not bothered, and is happy to collect his wages on the bench is frankly ludicrous, and flies in the face of evidence of our eyes and ears. Watch him in any interview. Watch him on the pitch. He loves playing. Loves scoring goals. Lives for it. These injuries will be tearing him apart inside, and he needs our support now more than ever.
Ladies and Gentlemen, :)
have always been a supporter/defender of Danny Boy.
~ He will get over this injury crisis soon
~ He will be our main man ~world class talent~ for years (hope he stays till retirement with us)
Who else is such natural finisher with lots of tricks currently?
~ In the premier league, maybe our Danny Boy and Aguiro (quote: Carra)…Kane, Vardy are one notch below.
~ in Spain possibly a certain Suarez, MessI, and ronaldo? (no, not Aspas)
~ France: Ibramovic
~ Germany: Klopp’s boy with Bayern.
~ Italy: none..Higuen is one notch below (and Balo…well…no comment)
So, keep our Danny Boy fit and happy at all cost. His long term contribution to us and success will easily out weigh his current salary package.
Get back to your best soon, son.
I really really really want to believe every word in this positive, heartfelt article, and I do agree that it’s completely wrong to ridicule and abuse Daniel — or any player who wears a Liverpool shirt. They are human beings before they’re footballers. Fans who can’t control their personal frustrations and need to vent them hatefully on our own players for any reason need to take a good look in the mirror.
I would also love it if my employer would pay me millions and let me decide when I feel like working — and be satisfied if I only showed up and could be depended on less than 50% of my contracted time. I actually would be satisfied if Daniel could manage 20 starts in a season, but even in my most optimistic and hopeful moments I can’t see that happening. I’d even be satisfied if he could simply come on as an impact sub in 20 games and actually make an impact. My optimism for that is a bit higher but not bubbling over. I also have to keep pushing away the nagging doubts that arise from watching his face and body language and thinking “Does he actually love the game and is he burning to play it?” Maybe there are reasons why he’s not smiling like he did in 2013-14. Maybe he is coping now with lingering discomfort. I really don’t know. What I do know from watching him is that he’s not bursting with joy.
I’m troubled too by the thought that Stevie had nothing to gain by putting those disparaging comments in his book. And he’s not the only one who has said it. In short, the whole situation troubles me, and I’ve dealt with it by deciding we love Daniel Sturridge but we simply can’t depend on him or keep waiting until we can. The days I’ve been the happiest have been the days when goals have come from multiple Liverpool players on the pitch. Those days make me believe we’re making progress toward building an actual team, not merely placing most of our hope on one guy, or on the low probability that we can ever replicate the magic of SAS.
Elena says here it’s wrong to ridicule Sturridge but you can see from the following thread, at a comment posted at 8:39pm, some of her tweets directed at Daniel Sturridge:
http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2015/10/liverpool-want-world-want-now/
Talking about him “not wanting to play,” claiming he is “a liability who can’t handle the pressure”, tweeting at him that he needs “to step the hell up,” telling him “he has no more excuses,” saying that he is “only interested in using liverpool’s money to fund a fashion model career.” Ellie wasn’t too worried about him being a human being when she was sending these tweets in Septemer, October and November.
@Elena_in_Rome search Sturridge
Hypocrisy does not come more clear cut.
Daniel’s injury probe. Always has been. It won’t change. We need to get over it. The morons who slagged him off and continue to slag him off need to grow up.
The way forward is to build a team with one striker very similar to him, like Aubameyang or Lacazette, so if he comes back in nothing else changes. He becomes a luxury but that’s what he is anyway. And yea he might be an expensive one but we can do nothing about his wages. Having Benteke in there creates too many variables & only adds to the problems we have establishing an attacking pattern of play.
Michael Pearson, you are so ridiculously pathetic. You clearly don’t have the brain power to comprehend that an opinion can have many nuances, and it can change over time as new conditions arise.
TAW, kindly ban this moron who has persisted for months and across many comment threads in STALKING me on here. Thank you.
I’m a moron for simply pointing out your hypocrisy? You did it with Klopp and you’ve done it with Sturridge. And two more things: 1. Im hardly stalking you, this is my first response to you in about 2 months. 2. How pathetic are you that instead of coming up with an intelligent counter argument you’d rather just have someone banned for showing you up. Says so much about you as a person. You despise me telling the truth. This is why you block people on twitter even when they respectively disagree with you. It’s why Graeme Kelly calls you a weirdo and many others like Saki have blocked you – because you simply refuse to engage in a rational discussion. It wouldn’t be so bad but you’ve been wrong about everything, from Rodgers’ ability to Klopp’s achievements in Germany.
Bottom line is we need to support Sturridge through his injuries because when he’s healthy he’s guaranteed goals. You claim we shouldn’t ridicule him yet you do yourself. Saying you’ve changed your mind as soon as your challenged on something and doing this multiple times takes away any little credibility you have. As I’ve said before, if you are going to be a hypocrite expect to be called out on it.
PS: I may not agree with what you say but I’d defend to the death your right to say it. Freedom of speech. Trying to shut it down makes you a fascist. You’re not still “in Rome.” :-)
Michael, you’re one-dimensional. It’s apparently impossible for you to comprehend that a person can see a situation in a variety of ways and have a variety of emotions about it. I’m open in expressing my opinions, but I fully reserve my right to change or adapt my opinion as I discover reasons to do so. That is honesty, not hypocrisy.
Please stop stalking and trolling me. Your behavior has forced me to lose any respect I might ever have had for your opinion, and I’m beginning to think it’s driven by misogyny.
Ha! Yes, me pointing out your clear cut cases of hypocrisy is merely due to my hatred of all women. It’s also my hatred of all women which has caused me to disagree with Robin and David and Andrew on here at various times. It can’t possibly be just highlighting one persons idiocy and lies because I disagree with that idiocy and lies, eh?
You don’t see any situation in a variety of ways. Before Klopp became our manager you lied about him, said Dortmund sacked him, said he quit the 3 clubs he’d managed (despite him only managing 2, well in) and said he only wanted the Munich job. You never said anything positive. I knew all that was horseshit so I pointed it out.
Then he became our manager and all of a sudden you thought he was the best thing since a sliced loaf. An embarrassing childish swing in opinion. “He wanted Rodgers job so he’s a cunt and I hate him, oh wait now he has got Rodgers job he is a genius and I love him.” Sad. Here, take a look at our arguments about Klopp when Rodgers was still here:
http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2015/09/liverpool-will-fsg-still-search-for-a-shortcut-if-they-sack-rodgers/
why was I so right and you so wrong back then?
You said on here fans shouldn’t ridicule Sturridge but I knew that for months and months thats exactly what you did on twitter. I didn’t like it so I pointed it out.
Misogyny has nothing to do with it. That’s a smokescreen because you don’t want to admit how hypocritical you have been. Just like your calls to get me banned. Shameful behaviour from a woman of your age.
“He disagrees with me so he must hate all women!”
“He disagrees with me so he must be banned and not allowed to speak!”
Wise up. If you don’t like your hypocrisy and lies being pointed out, heres the solutuon: don’t be a hypocrite and don’t be a liar. It’s really rather simple.
Can we pack this bullshit in? No one gives a fuck. Talk about Liverpool or the article in question and pack the personal attacks in. Thanks.
This is about Sturridge. I’ve commented on his injuries, the behaviour of our fans towards him and how we, Liverpool, go about coping with his injuries.
Is it not reasonable to point out when someone comes on here saying the same thing but acting in a completely different manner when it suits them? And that they have previous for this? Surely pointing out the truth is fine?
Why haven’t you challenged her on her lies about our manager or her abuse of Sturridge? You can see her tweets and her posts on here just as much as I can. You disagree with plenty of people but never her. Is it due to her relentless brown nosing of all things TAW? Both on here and on twitter? Because that’s neither mature or responsible.
I don’t agree with personal abuse but me calling her a hypocrite and a liar and providing clear evidence for her hypocrisy and lies is simply the truth. Whereas she called me a moron for pointing this out. On the Benteke thread I’ve been called a “miserable dreary boring obvious twat” by Steve R, for no other reason that offering an opinion and being right. Once again it seems personal abuse is fine if its against me but not if against anyone else. Or for a third time will your excuse be that you didnt see the comments directed at me but you did see the comments by me, with proof to back up any claims I make? Because there is a pattern emerging there.
Im only asking you for some fairness. Whether you agree with my opinions or not, whether Elena embarrassingly licks your hole for every little thing or not, please enforce your rules fairly and equally to everyone.
Ok, bye Michael.
Your greatest strength is often your greatest weakness, Sturridge has speed and movement that very few others have ever had, Torres, Owen and Rush when they were young and before injury, and this in many ways is the problem, a fit Sturridge gains half a yard by speed of thought and then another yard over the first 5 yards with explosive pace, that yard and a half puts him clear and then he scores. An injured Sturridge does not gain that yard and a half and as we have seen with the 3 above at the end of their careers they were a shadow of themselves in their pomp. The question is what sort of Sturridge do you want? The one that is run into the ground and finished by the age of 28, or do you try and keep him fit until he is 30 / 32. His contract is for 4/5 years so the more quality games the better, no point in him being used when not fit and fortunatly when he is injured he does not put on weight nor need warm up games when he comes back. His poor games tend to be when he does not feel 100% fit. I would wrap him in cotton wool and play him when he fit but always have a plan B or C.
The people giving Daniel grief have never had an injury that kept them out of the game for more than a few weeks.
As someone who spent a year on the amateur sidelines due to an ACL, and then another 6 months getting back to anything even remotely resembling “form”, I can tell you its SHIT watching your teammates play… you always think you can contribute to turning a loss into a draw, or a draw into a win, or a win into a more emphatic win.
I had a teammate who would limp off at the slightest knock and not play for two weeks. The concept of “playing through the pain” was alien to him. I on the other hand played through niggle after niggle following my ACL… found out much later, it threw my hip off and due to things just not aligning right, you pick up ankle, calf and thigh strains quite easily… i played through them all… and the ankle injuries eventually sidelined me for good.
The other cunt is still playing… and he wasn’t even that good.
I guess what I’m saying is … I just wanna see Daniel Dance in Red… and I don’t really care if that’s only 15 times per season… as long as I get to see it!
…maybe some of his f***ing teammates can score some and take the pressure off the lad?
Agree. Its so frustrating because he is so good! So have some patience and lets enjoy his football greatness when we get to see it. Its better to have him than to not!
For me its a simple situation. There isn’t really a choice other than this. Accept he will never be fully fit for a prolonged period, so plan your entire team and squad without him. When he’s fit and ready to play then its a bonus. Guttering to accept as fans!
Devastated for him. My nephew used to play against him when he was at City in the youth sides. Haven’t read SG’s book but don’t see the issues around him asking him to play through the pain? Needs putting in perspective surely?
The best way to go for LFC would be to buy a striker in January, one close to Sturridge in ability and style, I’m dreaming Berardi, to fill the Sturridge void at least partly so we won’t miss him so much. And when he does come back, if we’re lucky even he might have to win back his starting place.
Very good article. Required reading. Pity those who need it most won’t bother.
This nails it:
“Quit the snide remarks and rally behind a player who when fit can be used to sprinkle magic on an 11 rather than be relied upon as a talisman.”
There is a cold, hard football decision to be made here.
forget transfer fees, wages and all that stuff. Forget whether Sturridge is a nice lad and what he has done previously for us.
Klopp, going forward, has to decide if he can rely on Daniel Sturridge to contribute a worthwhile amount to the team. If he feels he can, then great. If he feels he cannot rely on him then we get someone else.
Note to all the decent fans who take time to share their sincere thoughts in TAW comment threads:
It is very regrettable that a mean-spirited bully like Michael Pearson is trying to ruin it for everyone else by attempting to embarrass and humiliate other posters in an effort to make himself appear taller. I have again written to the TAW moderators to ask them to create posting guidelines and to moderate the site more effectively. One person like Mr Pearson should not be allowed to turn what should be a pleasant place for Liverpool fans to feel comfortable and safe expressing their opinions into a place where some fans are stalked, trolled and hounded. His goal is presumably to drive decent fans away by making the space poisonously toxic. This is a great shame because The Anfield Wrap is the best fan-driven site with top quality content for Liverpool supporters. The only reason I have even bothered to reply to his poison is because silence implies acceptance, and I completely reject the damage he is trying to do to The Anfield Wrap environment.
Haven’t got time to get involved and sit here all day deciding who is right and wrong in these childish debates. Have told Michael to sack it off, please do the same. There isn’t a team of “TAW moderators” and there certainly isn’t time to post guidelines.
All I want is for Ellie and Michael to get along
I am just thankful that TAW is sensible enough and not come up with 100-page rules/terms/conditions for all of us to read and click “I Agree” before posting each comment…like Apple App Store or some Bank Website…haha…cheers
The article is spot on.
We constantly hear about how few top quality strikers there are in Europe – and Liverpool should be most aware of this after the monumental amount of money that has been forked out with minimal return in recent years – yet we are constantly advised that the club would be best served by just selling our one off at a discount to whoever may want him.
Funnily enough though, I don’t see the richest club in the league (City) being advised to sell off their star striker (Aguero) and defender (Kompany) due to the constant disruption that they are causing to the team with their injury problems…
Fantastic article Craig! Disagree all youse want as that’s part n parcel of football and why we all love it so much but let’s not get personal as we all end up looking stupid… Keep up the good work TAW!!!