26 Oct 2016

Legend raves: 'Wonderful' £30m Liverpool star is 'as good as anybody' and has 'ridiculous technique'

Despite his two-goal brace last night, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness insists Daniel Sturridge is destined for further bench duty at Anfield.

Analysing his performance after the game, Souness hailed Sturridge's 'wonderful qualities', and 'ridiculous technique', but insisted:

"He [Sturridge] is as good as anybody, but you would never describe him as busting a gut. He's got wonderful qualities, but unless he can find that energy at this stage of his career, he's not going to be a starter here."

Sturridge didn't 'bust a gut' during the 2013-14 season, either, but he still grabbed 34 goals/assists in 33 games, and played an integral role in propelling Liverpool to the verge of a first Premier League title in 24 years.

If a player who has 'ridiculous technique', 'wonderful qualities', and is 'as good as anyone' (*and* has one of the best goal/assist ratios in Europe) isn't played regularly because he doesn't press/run enough, then there's something seriously wrong at Anfield.

I reject the notion that £30m-rated Sturridge has to 'bust a gut' to be successful in Klopp's team. How many freakin' defenders/pressers does one team need? Isn't it enough that nine other outfield players are running themselves into the ground? Why can't just *one* player be allowed to focus more on SCORING GOALS.

It irritates the hell out of me how Klopp is wasting a striker with Sturridge's prodigious goalscoring qualities. One-eyed fans will point to his lack of goals this season, but it's hard to build up 'rhythm' (one of Klopp's favourite concepts) when Sturridge is constantly ignored and/or forced to (unnecessarily) change his game.

It's simple: play Sturridge consistently (i.e. once a week for fitness management purposes) in his best position (centre-forward), with a remit to SCORE GOALS, and he will do the business, especially if he has the faith and trust of the manager (which he doesn't right now).

Klopp is just too stubborn and inflexible to even consider the slightest alteration to his 'heavy metal football' approach, and it's this intransigence that will ultimately be his downfall, just as it was at Dortmund. Brendan Rodgers got the best out of Sturridge, and channelled his ability into a bona-fide title challenge. Why can't Klopp do the same?

I'm just glad Klopp didn't manage Liverpool in the '80s or 90s, as exciting players like Barnes, Molby, Aldo, Beardsley, Fowler, Owen, McManaman etc would've been marginalises and/or scrapped for not pressing/defending enough, and Reds fans would've been deprived of some of the most exciting footballers to ever grace the club.


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