15 Nov 2014

Sturridge vs. Costa: Who's the best? - LFC fans give their surprising verdict

On Tuesday, Liverpool legend John Aldridge bemoaned Liverpool's failure to sign Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who is currently the Premier League's top goalscorer. If Daniel Sturridge had remained fit all season, it's probable he'd be challenging Costa for top spot right now, but who is the better striker overall?

I recently conducted a poll on the site asking that very question.

* 10460 people (approx) participated in the poll.

* 51% of participants selected...Costa as the better striker of the two.

Given the fact this is a LFC-related website, that's a mildly surprising result, but it just shows that fans are actually capable of being objective.

I voted for Sturridge over Costa, though. In my view, a fully-fit Sturridge is one of the best strikers in Europe, and his stats creative stats confirm that.

* 51 goals/assists in 52 games for Liverpool.
* Scores/creates a goal every single game.

With 43 goals/assists in 49 appearances for Atletico Madrid last season, Costa - who cost Chelsea €40m in the summer - came close to matching Sturridge's record, but with 91 goals/assists in 133 games overall, he's still some way short of surpassing the Liverpool striker's goals/assists rate.

That said, with 10 goals in 12 games this season, Costa is currently achieving Sturridge-esque stats, and it'll be interesting to see if he can maintain that until May.

The fact is, only the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Suarez (last season) achieve similar creative stats to Sturridge, yet for some inexplicable reason, the England striker remains under-appreciated. It's a mystery...

Author:


24 comments:

  1. This is the most bullshit use of stats! Compare goal to goal stats and assist to assist stats and compare the two individually, then analyse the two variables to decide who is the more complete player! This is just misleading bollucks!

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  2. I chose Sturridge because he's more likely to create something out of nothing. He's also quicker, better dribbler, can drop deep & spray the ball & more likely to create for others.

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  3. Spot on JK.Daniel Sturridge is under appreciated by most in the media and even by some Liverpool supporters.
    If DS was a Brazilian called Sturridginho maybe more people would take notice of his superb production and quality all round game.
    Sometimes i don't think it's the player but how they're packaged that makes them under appreciated.The media have refused to remove the big club failure tag from around Sturridge's neck.Which isn't fair because it's proven to be lack of chances, nothing to do with not being talented enough.
    If the media got behind Daniel Sturridge like they do with others, his star would be much brighter.It would force some people to recognise the player that's being slept on.
    With Diego Costa he was the focal point of a Athletico Madrid team which broke the stranglehold of the big two in Spain.They also made the CL final.Costa's stock went up and he was seen a marquee player when Chelsea bought him.
    I voted for Sturridge over Diego Costa for the reasons Funkdoc gave.

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  4. Sturridge can do all the things costa can do, but faster

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  5. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:18 pm, November 15, 2014

    Sturridge has more natural talent

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  6. Nevergonnacrackthecode10:19 pm, November 15, 2014

    apparently costa been playing through muscles injuries al year
    wish sturridge could do that
    thats what separates top players
    and that is why costa is better endurance


    carrgher would play through calf injuries sturridge wouldnt

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  7. Carra could not dribble like the Studge - nor did he have the pace & turn of speed that DS has...besides Carra couldn't hit a barn door

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  8. Beast we're on the same wavelength, exactly what I was thinking, if Sturridge was Brazilian we'd be going crazy. As English strikers go, Sturridge is the best ALL ROUND striker this country has seen. Is he the best finisher, no! But he can do fox in the box, drop deep & link play, pull out wide the absolute lot! He can do everything Shearer or Lineker can do, everything Andy Cole or Michael Owen can do. He's also the most skillful striker this country has seen, it's quite clear for one reason or another he's not liked by the media & even dare I say by so called LFC fans. This "cocky & arrogant" seems to have stuck permanently because he dared to show ambition & further his career. Trust me Chelsea know that they missed a trick by selling him, but even worse for £12mill.
    In my opinion I think there's an issue with race & self confidence. Race because society has ingrained in it's thinking that blacks should occupy the bottom of everything, that any form of success is frowned upon. English culture has the fascination with self deprecation which is quite insincere because we're the most arrogant group of people on this earth. Any overt show of self confidence goes against cultural norms.

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  9. Everyone has a different body type.Tolerance to pain and the time needed to recover from injuries varies.Some heal quick like Suarez and others like DS and Sergio Aguero don't.
    I think sometimes mentality plays a small part in getting back quickly, but i'd prefer Daniel Sturridge not to play the hero, rush a comeback and get injured again.
    That would be season over!

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  10. Carragher didn't run as much as Sturridge. How often did you see Carra sprint?

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  11. Have you never heard a Fergie, or Mourinho, or Wenger interview?

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  12. Suarez's goals and assists weren't too flash at first, but he was still by far our best player, and people still stood up every time he touched the ball.

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  13. Totally agree, Sturridge is totally under appreciated by fans. It's a shame it's taken a lengthy injury for some people to realise how good he is

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  14. This article is about how Lallana is not at top form. If he's not playing that would be why, not because Rodgers is mis-managing him. Players not at the top of their game don't deserve to automatically start, no matter how much they cost. He gets his chance at training every week and if he's finding it challening at Melwood then of course the manager isn't going to pick him until he starts getting it right.

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  15. Thank christ for that. We won't have to read at least one of your posts

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  16. Costa works full time time, Studge is part time.

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  17. please dont compare carra to sturridge its like comparing a seaside donkey to a grand national winner

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  18. it sturridge could stay injury free he has he potential to be an all time great but its a big if

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  19. What's good for the goose is never good for the gander as far as Mr Hypocrite himself is concerned

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  20. Sturridge needs to man up a bit.

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  21. sturridge might just save the season if he manages to stay clear of injuries

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  22. Because he's always injured!!!

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  23. What is the sign of a Great Player. Well let's see!
    Go join an under performing or just plain average team and take them straight to the top.
    Michael Jordan did that here in America. He also made all the players around him better.
    Daniel Sturridge has already started the process at Liverpool. He should be able to take care of the second part of the process. Making all the other players around him better.
    Remember. Suarez, who I think is one of the top strikers in the world, was playing for Liverpool BEFORE Sturridge came along and they were languishing in the middle of the table UNTIL Sturridge came along. In fact, both strikers made each other better.
    It is very apparent that Liverpool has missed Sturridge badly this season, however I see a positive side to his absence. The admittedly new team was not yet ready for him. They had to mature and gel.
    When Sturridge comes back they will be ready for him and I believe that they will respond.
    Barring no further injuries, Liverpool's season is salvageable.


    Also.
    The fact that Daniel Welbeck is scoring goals for fun for the England team, means that Roy Hodgeson can ease up on Sturridge if necessary

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  24. I agree with you that Lallana has put in a few solid performances, but the bottom line is he has no assists in 12 games, which, in my view, is not good enough for a 26-year old, irrespective of his injury. I think you're right that he'll benefit from the return of Sturridge; he, Sterling, and Coutinho.

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