Suarez and Sturridge: Potential to be the awesome twosome

Sturrdige (L) with Suarez

What a sight, what a sight?….. after all the talk about how Suarez’s return would lead to some compromise for Sturridge and talk about sacrifices and benefit of the team, it was Brendan Rodgers, who made the smartest move of all. Instead of sacrificing one for the other, he started them together and lo and behold, you have 3 goals from open play for Liverpool. While the earlier month, Sturridge was the toast of Liverpool along with the defense. This time around Liverpool were mere charismatic, if not anything else. The 3-4-1-2 formation was made fashionable this weekend, and given the defensive resources at his disposal, Rodgers has the luxury to actually play Henderson as a right winger.

While all the talk and glamour is most often about the strikers, it is players like Henderson and Lucas, who do the dirty work and have the versatility to play in any position that benefits the team and club more than anything else. Some of the greats have been mostly unheralded, their worth being realized when they vacated their position. Makalele and in recent times Viera for Madrid and Arsenal respectively. It may be too early to bracket Henderson with the likes of these greats, but the commitment and the hunger is there to be seen in Henderson to rise up to those standards.

This season is still in its infancy, but with Liverpool still to welcome back Coutinho after his early season creativity, which helped set up wins against Aston Villa and Manchester United, it is potential recipe for more exciting football at the Red end of Merseyside. Rodgers has already shown that he can get the best out of his players, in gelling and tactically adapting according to the situation. Whether its a boon or bane that Liverpool is not involved in Europe, the verdict can be reached only at the end of the season. The one thing though that is guaranteed is that all the Liverpool players are hungry for game time, so everyone would be on top of their game.

The smile on Rodgers face, when Suarez scored the third and final goal at the Stadium of Light was a thousand watt smile. People say actions are louder than words, that smile did speak a thousand words and Rodgers and Liverpool can only feel vindicated about themselves. Title talk is too early in the season, but if you don’t aim then you will never reach the target.