FOR many Reds, the best news to emerge from the European Championships so far Daniel Sturridge coming back injury-free. That he boarded the plane with nothing more serious than slightly damaged pride and a fair dose of regret should be a blessing for all of us who can’t wait to see him up front for Liverpool next season.
But is that where Liverpool fans want to see him? I’ve seen and heard a surprising amount of Reds suggesting deploying Sturridge a little deeper next season. In fact, it’s even been referenced on our own podcasts.
I’d like to think that watching these European Championships has dispelled any ideas Jürgen Klopp may have had of playing Daniel Sturridge as one of three attacking midfielders behind a striker.
It’s not that Sturridge played badly. He was one of England’s brighter attacking talents, at least until the second half of the Iceland game when everyone’s heads fell off. Daniel Sturridge can probably play anywhere. It just seems such a waste of his talents to not have him as close to the opposition goal as possible.
Sturridge in this deeper lying, play-making/quasi-10 role – I like it a lot. #lfc
— Dave Phillips (@lovefutebol) June 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/MrDilk1ington/status/748894949672968192
It’s often said that putting the ball in the back of the net is the hardest part of football. As Euro 2016 has shown, there aren’t many lads about now who are much good at it– certainly not on a regular basis. Therefore, when you have a fella who is brilliant at it, why would you move him further away?
Sturridge had bright moments in both games he started from a wide right position for England, but no real attempts on goal. England didn’t win either game and went out. Would it have been different had Sturridge been played as a nine? We can’t say for sure. But I’m certain England would have managed more than one goal against the might of Slovakia and Iceland if Sturridge had been played up front.
Sturridge had moments of magic but they were just too far away from goal to be of true value to the team. It reminded me a little of Luis Suarez under Dalglish and how Brendan Rodgers never really got enough credit for transforming him from a someone who was seen as a support striker into an out-and-out number nine. Rodgers recognised that beating a man 40 yards from goal was one thing, but beating a man in the box meant a shot on goal. The players who can create space for themselves there are worth their weight in gold.
For podcasts right through the summer on Liverpool past and present, transfer gossip, The Euros, the lowdown on new signings and more, subscribe to TAW Player for just £5 per month. Minimum sign up is just one month. More information here
Never listened to an Anfield Wrap podcast? The latest free show is here. Just press play on the button below.
Sturridge was often able to skip away from his marker, but he was still faced by five or six men between him and the goal. I saw him given the job of feeding a forward line short of confidence and got a worrying flash forward to him being given the task of supplying Divock Origi or Danny Ings next season. Both of these players have tons of promise, but don’t yet have the guarantees of a fully-fit Sturridge in front of goal. They still have question marks at the highest level going into next year. You don’t yet move a player of Sturridge’s ability to accommodate them.
Some of the desire to see Sturridge play deeper seems to stem from a growing consensus that Sturridge can’t play up front on his own in Klopp’s preferred formation of 4-2-3-1. I’m not sure where this has come from. His first real purple patch for Liverpool came after Luis Suarez was suspended for biting and Sturridge was given the task of leading the line on his own. Sturridge with Philippe Coutinho behind him formed a great partnership. He scored twice as we battered Newcastle at St James’s Park, and then got a hat-trick at Fulham. This form continued into the next season, with Sturridge scoring in each of Liverpool’s first three games playing as the number nine.
Daniel likes to wander, like a lot of strikers do. He will run the channels and he’ll look to get involved in general play. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a number nine or that he can’t be coached, or rather instructed, to maintain a position more rigidly if necessary.
Footballers, with the possible exception of Mario Balotelli, aren’t static. Formations aren’t rigid. Players move about. As long as they are mostly where you want them to be, then that’s fine. And we want Daniel Sturridge mostly in the penalty area. With as few a people between him and the goal as possible.
There are also the issues of the demands on his body.
Klopp obviously wants all his team pressing, but certain positions get more of a rest than others.
In terms of distance covered and sprints the players at the top of the leaderboard are usually the attacking midfielders — James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana; the guys who are pressing and harrying and winning it back to spring attacks. Do we really want Sturridge doing this? Can his body even take it? Or is he the one they slide in to score?
Lads who run, pass and create are easier to find. Good ones are expensive, of course, but they are gettable. Goalscorers are rare. We can find someone else who can do what Sturridge can do in midfield and out wide. Can we find someone else who can do what he can do in front of goal this summer? All the best.
Already starting with the Balotelli jibes the moment he gets back… Great article but come on. You’re well aware of the power of the media. Do we really have to always have a player with a “kick me” sign on his back?
I agree; leave Sturridge up front. He’ll drop deep to get involved and move around anyway – that’s just the type of player he is – and as Gibbons says: playing him behind the striker will heap an unnecessary amount of defensive work on him. The link role is quite important defensively, and this isn’t where I would want Sturridge to spend his energy. Better to leave it to Firmino or Lallana, who are excellent in defence and the counter-pressing phase.
Offensively, the important thing is the dynamic between the front players – not their defensive starting positions, as mentioned in the article – and especially the central two. With a type of striker like Sturridge it’s important to have players around him who have the desire to get into goalscoring positions, as well as the intelligence to play in relation to his movement. What we don’t want is another player in the second striker/number 10 position who wants to dictate the attack, because then we’ll end with three players (Coutinho, Sturridge plus the #10) who want the ball in front of the defence all the time, and not enough vertical options. Not a great recipe for a good dynamic.
In that sense, I think the signing of Mane will prove to be a really good one. Mane, Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge; on paper this is a very nice blend of pace, on-ball qualities and off-ball qualities. And all four can score goals. Mane provides pace, willingness to get in behind the defence and good 1v1 skills; Firmino is really good at playing on few touches and affect the game off the ball, as well as getting rid of his marker in central areas and get into good positions in the box. And then we have our two guys who like to dictate the attacks, in Cou and Studge. It’ll be gorgeous.
So yes, leave Sturridge up front.. :)
Up the Reds
The side should be built around Sturridge and Coutinho. Still not convinced that 4-2-3-1 is the way forward, though.
I agree. We need 2 strikers to stretch and terrorize the oppositions defense. Danny Ings should be back next season. Maybe even a Mario Balotelli if, and that’s a big if, he can be disciplined and made to focus on the job at hand.
Blimey, I agree with my son. I’ve got a piece of card ans some crayons so can I do the ‘kick me’ sign?
Sturridge not in the team = no goals.
Sturridge in the team = goals.
Surely there’s no debate about where he plays.
Simplicity in its most beautiful form Dog Ears…
Hopefully a good pre-season can bring back some of that leanness and pace..
The only concerns anyone can have about Sturridge relate to physical and mental finess.
Mane must be primarily an insurance against Sturridges fragility, and doesn’t seem to be up to the task on past performance.
But at least we have some back up now.
Surely that can be blamed on the owners too?
No?
The fact some people would even contemplate putting a player that has 43 goals in 69 appearances in a deeper role is shocking.
Wake up and smell Daniel’s beautiful strawberry cologne…
you’re damn right
Daniel Sturridge is great and so is this article saying he should stay upfront and score loads of goals. A plan I think everyone can get behind.
Origi and Ings should still get all kinds of games because Sturridge’s legs need looking after but we’ve known this for most of his time here. If he picks up a knock the sky won’t be falling like the other season with Balotelli and Lambert when for all intents and purposes there was no sky left.
Not really a debate.Clueless Hodge wasted Studger’s talents but Klopp won’t.
And on the subject of talent, anybody notice the similarity between ex-Manc cry baby Nani and 80’s pop genius Kid Creole?
“Oh Nani, I’m not your daddy “indeed.
I was surprised to hear this summed up perfectly by Gary Lineker after the Iceland game. ‘Football is hard enough when you play in your own position, let alone trying to play someone else’s’