The striker’s time at Liverpool is not over…
Daniel Sturridge appeared to be at the end of his Liverpool career when he joined West Brom on loan in January. Liverpool already had more than enough firepower in the attacking third, and Daniel Sturridge had difficulty finding his way into Liverpool’s team sheet. Even 20 year-old Dominik Solanke had received more minutes than his fellow English striker.
But here we are. Daniel Sturridge has returned to Liverpool for preseason and has looked sharp in training and in matches, while Jurgen Klopp has reassured Sturridge that he still has a place in the team.
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There are few who doubt Sturridge’s quality. When fit, he brings energy, pace, and a lethal finishing ability to his side.
This is what made him such an important player in his early years at the club. When he signed for Liverpool in January of 2013, he went on to score ten Premier League goals in the second half of that season.
He then followed that up with 21 goals and a further 7 assists as Liverpool played some of the best attacking football in years and so nearly won the Premier League title.
Even despite injuries in the next few seasons, he still maintained an impressive scoring rate when he did manage to play and he brought a level of quality in attack without which Liverpool had struggled.
Much of that has changed with Jurgen Klopp at the helm. The likes of Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have joined the club (Firmino actually joined shortly before Klopp took charge) and have formed a devastating front three.
Liverpool have thrived without Sturridge. Perhaps Sturridge could have made a greater case for himself when fit, but the Englishmen has still struggled to make himself available and Liverpool have moved on.
As a result, Sturridge has found himself well down in the pecking order and Klopp has turned to Domenec Solanke and Danny Ings ahead of him. However, the two struggled to produce much in place of Liverpool’s first choice attackers.
As a result, Liverpool’s results dropped off towards the end of the season as they made a deep run in the Champions League and Klopp opted to rest many of his first team players.
Their lack of proper alternatives was also clear when Salah went out injured early on in the Champions League final and Liverpool had almost immediately lost what was a strong grip on the match and went on to fall short.
Liverpool have since aimed to bring further attacking quality into the side. They had already agreed a deal for Nabil Fekir, but chose not to sign the midfielder to due injury concerns. Shaqiri ended up joining instead, and while he is a solid option, most Liverpool supporters would have likely preferred to turn to Fekir than the Swiss international were any of their front three unavailable.
However, Sturridge is still a reliable option in addition to Shaqiri. When he has played consistently, he has more than proved to be a strong outlet up top for the Reds. Even when fit, Sturridge wouldn’t likely have a starting spot, but Sturrdige has certainly proved to be a strong, if not world class outlet in the attacking third when he has played on a consistent basis.
If he can remain fit, Klopp would surely be able to throw him on as a substitute in most matches as well as to start him if Salah, Mane, or Firmino needs rest. He had demonstrated this throughout his Liverpool career, and certainly offered a reminder over the course of preseason.
In most other seasons, Liverpool would have been able to launch a title challenge while also making it to the Champions League final had they had the depth. While Manchester City were a class above every other side in the Premier League last season, it is unlikely that they can maintain their level of play.
Now that Liverpool have greater depth in their squad, Liverpool are in a strong position to capitalize should the current champions fail to meet the bar that they set last season.
If Daniel Sturridge can replicate his preseason form, and the form that he had showed over preseason, he can help to put Liverpool in that position.