12 Jan 2015

'Top class': Great news as BR confirms 'wonderful' £29m star is on the verge of Liverpool return

Last week, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers revealed that he expects Daniel Sturridge to make his long-awaited return 'in some part of January', and according to the man guiding him through injury rehabilitation, Sturridge's persistent injury problems may finally be over.

When asked about Sturridge on Friday, Rodgers confirmed that the striker is in the 'final stages of his rehab', and added:

"He is a top class player with a wonderful idea of the game and wonderful qualities. His pace is frightening and his movement. If he can stay fit he can lead the charge for us".

Recent history proves that Sturridge cannot maintain regular fitness, but his according to fitness expert Scott Schrimscher, Sturridge may finally have licked his injury problems. He told the Liverpool Echo:

“Daniel has an incredible work ethic and is wonderful to work with. He is a class act and has a bright future ahead".

Schrimscher also outlined his approach to dealing with £29m-rated Sturridge's injury problems:

“The methodology we utilized is supported by four main pillars: mindset, movement, nutrition, and recovery and it is that holistic and seamlessly integrated system that [will help Sturridge] improve performance on the pitch.”

Rodgers' usual hyperbole aside, the key phrase in his eulogy above is clearly: 'if he can stay fit'. Sturridge appears to mentally strong, but when he finally returns, will he be able to approach every game full-throttle, or will his performance be slightly restricted by the understandable fear of sustaining another injury?

I'm one of Sturridge's biggest advocates (and continually reject spurious rumour-mongering about his alleged attitude/arrogance issues), but he is, sadly, unreliable, and this may have a knock-on impact on his future LFC career:

* Liverpool will undoubtedly sign another top class striker in the near future, and if Sturridge gets injured again, this could lead to him falling down the pecking order.

* Given his superb goals/assists rate, I'd hate to see that happen, but the team has to come first, and if Sturridge can't remain consistently fit, then the issue should be addressed.

* This would've already happened if Balotelli came in and did the business, but he's failed to step-up so far, which keeps Sturridge as LFC's number one.

* It's hard to build a team around a player who is constantly injured, and if Sturridge is not careful, he could go the same way as Agger, who was gradually phased out of the team. Granted, the Dane's form is one of the reasons he's no longer at the club, but his atrocious injury record is another major reason.

* The club may also decide to cash-in on Sturridge at some point to take advantage of his high transfer value, rather than watching his value decline as a result of repeated injuries.

Since arriving in January 2013, Sturridge has suffered NINE separate injuries (including the latest issue):

* NOV 2014: Hamstring
* SEP 2014: Thigh
* AUG 2014: Hamstring
* APR 2014: Hamstring
* NOV 2013: Ankle Ligaments
* SEP 2013: Hip/Thigh Injury
* MAY 2013: Ankle Ligaments
* FEB 2013: Hamstring
* FEB 2013: Hip/Thigh Injury

That's a formidable set of ongoing issues to deal with, so here's hoping Schrimscher lives up to Sturridge's praise:

 photo ScreenShot2015-01-12at181629_zps243be7be.png

I wish I could be optimistic, but Sturridge has never gone more than a few months without getting injured at LFC, but if he can last 3-4 months when he returns, that may be enough time for him to fire Liverpool into the Champions League,

Author:


78 comments:

  1. No one talk about Sturridge or what he might do till he actually puts his foot in the pitch .

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  2. If he can last a couple of seasons fully fit and keep his form going he will be one of the top 5 or 6 strikers in the world.

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  3. Agreed, but what are the chances of that happening?

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  4. Danny Sturridges Physio5:48 pm, January 12, 2015

    Stop putting transfer values on players - YOUR NO FOOTBALL EXPERT

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  5. I'd say let's hope can last a few games before we move onto wishing for a few seasons.


    I really just hope he's not being rushed back in any way. As tough as that may be to fathom because he's been out so long already, but I'd rather bring him back even more slowly if it helps with him lasting longer on the field.

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  6. I think the transfer value came from a previous article, ha it is click bait but fair dues it works. I'm looking forward to sturridge's return now that the team has found a run of form as I don't think he would of made a big difference if he had came back in oct/nov as the team were still in a haze from last season.

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  7. Rodgers speaks positively and it's ridiculed as Hyperbole, yet no one can make comment on negativity ....... Undemocratic ?

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  8. Do we go for a top-class striker now in this window, or do we risk it with Sturridge until the end of the season? BR has some serious thinking to do...

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  9. I hope the kid can stay fit, I would hate to tink what our season would look like right now had he not been done over by England and Hodgsons arrogance... I'm quietly optomistic that he can stay fit for the remainder of the season though, and especially so if we finally get him some worthy support in the form of another striker, either as back up, or as a partner...
    Something to cheer you all up though, Utd have spent £150m and have won 1 game less than Moyes at this point, and for all the apparent talent they now have, are on the same points as Moyes after 21 games.... So it would seem LFC aren't the only ones wasting money...

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  10. I think if Balotelli is sold (dumb idea) or loaned (even dumber idea), then he will have to bring in another striker.


    My preference is to sell Borini, hope Sunderland is willing to pony up at least 10m, and then we active Higuain's release clause.


    Of course, in a perfect world, we'd activate Reus' release clause but we almost certainly wouldn't pay his wages.

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  11. I'm thinking back to the Spurs game, and I'm thinking that just maybe, they can work well together, and possibly to Balotelli's benefit...

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  12. don't think DS will ever be a great because of the points jamie makes. We can never rely on DS, and therefore need a top class forward to rotate with him. Id go for the guy from lyon, ahead of pretty much anyone else out there. he looks amazing.

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  13. Gonzalo H is a lazy, unreliable forward. he can score goals, but he's not a loan forward, and he is lazy..according to Jose, the laziest player he's ever worked with. Lacazette would be half the price and much better imo.

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  14. Please never return.

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  15. I think Lacazette would be the perfect option, based on Rogers' style of dynamic play.

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  16. Suarez is a bad example. His performance is dependant on whether he's angling for a move. He got his move, now he's eased off and Barca are already thinking of offloading him.
    Before you say it, I wouldn't have him back under any circumstances.

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  17. Preferably both. For that reason. Finishing fourth is Arsenal's trophy. Finishing above a rival is Everton's trophy. I would prefer to win something.

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  18. I disagree with almost every post he makes (Hell even he disagrees with a fair few himself). But he does add a bit of colour from time to time

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  19. Higuian will be on more than reus, Dortmund have a stringent wage bill

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  20. Agreed. I am assuming the trip away was part of trip away was not rushing him back.

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  21. His posts are enough to turn a baptist minister to drink

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  22. I saw him last night - near perfect!

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  23. Southampton are looking like the business this season and Arsenal on their day are just simply unstoppable. The mancs are also going to be in the mix. I really cannot see us making the top 4 this season. Hopefully I am proven wrong. To rely on the fitness of Sturridge quite simply will get us nowhere.

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  24. Borini puts in far more effort than Balotelli. All he needs is a good run of games to get into the swing of things.


    Balotelli quite simply should never have been signed. Could have got Remy for cheaper and would have been much more suited to the way we play. If Chelsea did not find any issues with his medical then why was it an issue for LFC? Would be interesting to know who on the committee decided against him at the last minute...

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  25. we can all hope against hope but the truth is we have to fire on all cylinders and a lot of good teams have to falter badly to get to 4th. hell even west ham looked very good last game vs swansea even though they drew...

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  26. Alexandre Lacazette or Benteke would be amazing!

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  27. We have a mountain to climb and very little room for error if we want to finish top 4.


    If Rodgers was not messing around with his clueless way of playing compared to his first season then we would not be in the predicament we are in at the moment. He should have just stuck to the high tempo and pressing game from last season.


    Egg in the face but do you think he will admit that he was wrong :-o

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  28. 29 million striker...?, Firstly that's bogus, he's a 12 million striker until someone buys him, and then he's whatever they pay for him. Secondly why can't you refer to him by his name in the headline..? Why are trying to hoodwink us to clicking on your article, are you that needy..? Or is that what they teach you in Journo school, stretch the truth and get the clicks?

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  29. I looked at our fixtures yesterday and agree it will be hard. Dropping points at home to Leicester, Hull, Sunderland and Villa is always going to make things tough...

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  30. Sorry to change the subject but Roy hodgson voted for Mascherano as his world player of the year! I'm a massive fan of Mascherano and he had a great World Cup, but come on... England has so much exciting talent coming through and we put this guy in charge....

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  31. I'm a firm believer that we need to splash the cash to get the striker that's going to change our fortunes. Lacarettes, Berahino, and Benteke are one season wonders. The market is overvaluing them because there are a few clubs out there desperate enough to take the bait like us.
    The thing that Torres and Suarez have in common that made them great for us was that they were consistent performers at their previous clubs over several years. No one could question their ability because their ability was evident....that's what we need and Jackson Martinez has that. The lad scores for fun, has a great attitude, and links up play with his teamates very well.
    I would easily pay 30-35mil for him if that means we aviod gambling on these 20-25 mil one-season wonders. Class is consistent and class is what we need - with 20+ goals in his last 4 seasons Martinez is definately class....or Harry Kane :)

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  32. Exactly... Mario needs a second striker up top with him.


    Amazingly enough, when he's had it, he's performed better and created some chances.


    I'm not stating that Balotelli is the be-all end-all for us; but he's definitely more useful than he's been made out to be.

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  33. Balotelli's signing hasn't worked out for us, but as I've outlined elsewhere, Rodgers is equally at fault with Mario for the failure.


    Here was Rodgers, so creative to make Sterling into the lone striker, yet he couldn't figure out that Balotelli wasn't working out by himself, and the times he's looked at his best were with someone up top with him.


    Mario can still be of use to this club.

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  34. I never now Assaidi was still at the club until now!!

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  35. That's the most frustrating thing. For the life of me I couldn't understand why Rogers wanted to persist with a formation that just wasn't working. Now that we've changed that and are doing what most of us have been crying for since October, we're winning. Can you imagine where we'd be had this change been made back then?

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  36. I didn't know other people could edit my comments

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  37. Don't think nuns would give a f*** though

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  38. Certainly more useful than sending him out on loan and not having a replacement lined up. No matter what people think about Higuian, selling Assaidi and loaning Balo isn't going to even touch the sides when it comes to replacing them with whoever the next name happens to be.. Until we have a solid replacement lined up, I suggest we keep him, and the ame appies to Lucas..

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  39. Yep. The site is tightly controlled and the positive side is that you don't get many really offensive or bullying comments. The downside as you have found is sometimes frankly quite mystifying deletions/amendments

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  40. *Get's injured Friday*

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  41. This article is a complete crock. Sturridge fall down the pecking order? Get off the crack!

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  42. No, you are not. I am with you on this.


    *raises fist defiantly*


    Forza Super Mario YNWA aluta continua and other supportive stuff

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  43. This is a great comment.

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  44. "Power to the people"
    If under 40 doubt you will get that cultural reference
    Google citizen smith and sue some YouTube video will make apparent. Good to see I'm not a complete Billy no mates on this subject. I have 1 Allie now all I have to is convince that no brain Rodgers

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  45. Or 'loss of suarez'

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  46. I stand corrected

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  47. I have edited your comment to switch 'positive' and 'downside'.

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  48. Of course and throw in league and FA cup for good measure. Personally I'm struggling to see past the Villa game

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  49. I have too agree with this one. Borini puts a shift in you can't deny that. If anything he's a bit too eager. Maybe if he had a run of games he would of been a bit more composed against Sunderland when he had his opportunity to finish. Balo has much more quality when he's on the ball but his work rate is woeful. For me people blame BR regarding Balo, in some cases rightly so but Sterling, a young inexperienced player in that position on that level and Borini have showed much more endeavour when played alone.

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  50. Sorry, Jock. Tried to reply earlier but the internet connection timed out; oddly, I could still Google stuff in other tabs. Anyway. Completely agreed with all of that. Last year RS had the SAS leading; now he's meant to lead a title-chasing team. Not gonna work every week. Yes; it's excellent seeing those three step up. When last has the club had three such skillful midfielders at once? Treat to watch.

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  51. For me I would be happy at end of season if we are in next seasons champions league and Utd are not...anything else would be a bonus.
    Then sit back and watch next summer as they struggle to sign top players as they would prefer to sign for us

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  52. I hate the censorship I think it's a disgrace. The idea that someone could just edit your comment and make you say whatever you want is frankly a little bit frightening.



    Maybe this is controversial and will ruffle some features but I won't be silenced and must say THIS IS MY FAVOURITE WEBSITE AND JK IS A BENEVOLENT LEADER.

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  53. Jeepers yes, that too, haha. I've lost track of all these codenames

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  54. I think we've been unstoppable this season, except for all the times when we haven't. Other than those times though, we've looked like Denzel Washington's worst nightmare.

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  55. I admire your courage.

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  56. JK's casual use of crack cocaine is irrelevant in this debate. In fact some of his best articles (including "Does anyone else hear that noise?", "I think Brendan Rodgers is on a campaign to drive me mad with his constant overpraise of players?" and "What's more difficult- defending set-pieces for Liverpool or getting to sleep for JK?") happen to have been written under the influence of the pipe.

    Please keep this debate civil and on topic. Don't insult the owner of the site with ad hominen or irrelevant insults.

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  57. Attack the argument, not the person.

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  58. Better yet: attack the person, nip the argument in the bud.

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  59. The Sheik got slaughtered on the Echo also tonight,

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  60. You need some people with mad opinions. Gets a debate going. The rational amongst us struggle to feel so easily and intensely.

    R.I.P. Jason Carr.

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  61. It's a shame. As Stuart says, he does add a bit of colour. I hope we're not killing his spirit.

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  62. Mario may perform better with a strike partner in an attacking sense, but he will never adequately do his duties defensively by pressing the ball. When he does do it, you can see it is very half hearted. If you have one player not pressing, it will mess up the entire system as it then leaves gaps that the opposition can play through and it affords them time on the ball. His running off the ball is poor and he doesn't create space for his teammates. Finally, which of our attacking midfielders would you remove from the team to play Balotelli? They're all starting to do well, while he continues to struggle.

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  63. Stevie G suffered like this up to 2003. Houllier sent him away for proper recovery and rehab and to sort out his hamstring problems, didn't really suffer much with those afterwards. If an athlete has a proper stretching regime for warm ups and warm downs then they shouldn't suffer from the problems that Sturridge has been suffering from. I hope that's what Scott Schrimscher has been teaching Sturridge to do. We are all different shapes and sizes and maybe he has worked out what DS needs to do for his own body.

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  64. Agreed, sell Borini, he's not good enough. We could play Sterling up front with Marcovic and Lalana behind Sterling with Balotelli and Lambert as options. Borini is nowhere near any of those guys as a player and in comparison to Sturridge, well, that's like comparing an old 1980s Alfa Romeo Alfasud to an Aston Martin DBS.

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  65. Totally agree. Sturridge combined well with Balotelli that day. Would go so far to say that for the first 3 league games of the season we didn't look too much different from the team of last season ( minus Suarez) but we were potent. Sturridge has a bigger effect in the dressing room than it at first appears. Hope that bears out when he returns to the first team. He can get all the players firing properly. They do say he is very popular amongst all the players.

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  66. Unfortunately Lacazette has come onto Man City's radar now. That will mean Chelsea will be sniffing as well. We have no chance of competing with those two in terms of squad strength and wages.

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  67. Have to disagree. If Sturridge can stay fit to the end of the season and get some form quickly we could be right in the mix with Man Utd, Arsenal and Southampton. Also, if we're playing well we have the Europa League. If we don't finish top four but win the Europa League, the fourth team is out. Wouldn't it be funny if Man Utd finished fourth and we won the Europa League.

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  68. Lacazette has been hot property for two seasons already and this season is looking unstoppable. We should have broken the bank for him in the summer transfer window but we blew it. We could have forced Borini out for £10M and spent some of the money we spent on Balotelli on Lacazette. I read that he didn't want to leave France last year but if you make a crazy offer (£20M) that might have turned heads. Just an opinion.

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  69. Your title needs work mate, 29 mil wonderful player? where have you derived that value from?

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  70. I think a continuing problem will be how Sturridge is handled by England. A few of those injuries have come on international duty. Liverpool can prepare the most rigorous and careful fitness regime possible but if he gets to England and Roy has him running 10km in training the day after a game then it counts for nothing.

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  71. Danny Sturridges Physio made an short irrate captial letter comment about putting transfer valuations in the headline section without the players name in it. I pointed out that the figure came from a previous article based on players current transfer values and that the reason why the headline is created in that way is for clickbait. I don't have a problem with that as I find it a clever way for people to go on to the site but by not explaining that to Danny Sturridges Physio, banning him and then editing out my comments... it's a bit 1984. If possible, a good debate is always better.

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  72. *knew...
    I'm sorry, I had to.

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  73. The whole voting process is a farce anyway. He was probably just having a laugh.

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  74. Worked though didn't it. Here you are!

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