Confidence, game time and sound tactics: The reinvention of Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge celebrates with his teammates at the end of the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on September 01, 2013 in Liverpool, England. (Getty Images)

Tactics

While Liverpool were expected to struggle without Luis Suarez, his ban by the FA may have well allowed Daniel Sturridge to come into his own. The Suarez ban led to Philippe Coutinho and Sturridge jointly assuming scoring duties as creator and scorer. During those 10 games, Sturridge scored 11 times as Liverpool recorded an impressive 7W 2D 1L.

Coutinho’s specialty is slide-ruler passes that a forward can run on to. Sturridge, in turn is a pacey forward who thrives when playing off the shoulders of the last defender. Essentially, one specializes at providing the ammunition for the other to fire. And while Suarez’s contribution may have been unwitting, bringing the duo to Liverpool and pairing them upfront was a tactical masterstroke.

To get goals from Sturridge, Rodgers has developed a strategy that suits the Englishman’s aggressive style of play. He is a classic English forward: physical, speedy and a good finisher. But Sturridge’s defensive work rate is still low, and, as we saw against Southampton, his creation is dodgy.

Evidently he plays best when asked to lead the line, ahead of or alongside a more creative forward, which allows him to play off the shoulders of the last defender and break into space. (This was partly his problem at Chelsea: being played out on the right instead of the centre limited his effectiveness.)

Having established himself, Sturridge may now benefit from the return of Suarez. The former is a natural number nine (out-and-out striker). Suarez in turn is essentially a nine-and-a-half (playing deeper that Sturridge, creating more chances but still very much a striker). This allows them to play in tandem, increasing the effectiveness of both. At Sunderland, the pair scored three goals between them, with Sturridge assisting both of Suarez’s goals.

As Rodgers explained, “When we’re defending in our half of the pitch, when we can’t press and we are under pressure, I am happy for them both to stay up there. That gives us nine men behind the ball, the opposition have to leave at least two defenders back covering so even if they push their two full-backs on, the maximum number they can put in our half of the pitch is eight.“

“I’ll take that we can defend nine versus eight if that gives me two v two on their half of the pitch because of our strikers’ pace and power.”

And while the merits of the 3-5-2 continue to be debated, given his formidable run of late it is likely that Sturridge will continue to thrive in the new system.