The Dancer, that’s the nickname that would fit to be pinned on Daniel Sturridge, the Liverpool striker, refers to the celebration of the “wacky dip” dance (a typical Jamaican dance), which he usually displays, every time he scores a goal. In addition, the British striker of Jamaican descent, is also known to have good running and dribbling speed, although sometimes a bit selfish. He did have time to shine in the early years with Liverpool, by forming a deadly duet “SAS” with Luis Suarez. Together with the Uruguayan striker, Sturridge was like getting a colleague of his heart, and his ability was growing rapidly. In fact, before he only became a reserve specialist player at Chelsea (the previous Sturridge club). No wonder, when Suarez was released to Barcelona, shortly after the 2014 World Cup, Liverpool were still confident. Because, they still have Sturridge whose capabilities have developed rapidly.
Unfortunately, after Suarez left, Sturridge seemed to get a bad luck in a row. Instead of scoring a lot of goals, he is instead familiar with recurring injuries. As a result, the sharpness of Liverpool’s front line was drastically reduced, and Sturridge was labeled “a player vulnerable to injury”. This situation, inevitably makes Sturridge familiar with Liverpool’s bench. Not enough to get there, he must find himself not included in coach Jurgen Klopp’s plans. Evidently, in the second half of the 2017/2018 season, he was loaned to West Brom. Unfortunately, Sturridge’s progress at West Brom was also not encouraging. Because, he had missed long enough due to injury. As a result, Sturridge was widely rumored to be leaving soon from Anfield Stadium, in the transfer market last summer. The signal strengthens, because Sturridge’s contract will expire in 2019, and there are no signs of being extended soon. But, the rumors proved to be false, because Sturridge was actually still in Liverpool.
In fact, entering the 2018/2019 season, Sturridge was like getting a “second chance” at Liverpool, with him starting to get a key role, in the design of Klopp’s tactics. But, unlike before, Sturridge is now more trusted by Klopp as a substitute specialist. Presumably, Klopp is now starting to find the right role, to accommodate the ability and injury vulnerability of Sturridge simultaneously. As time went on, it turned out that Sturridge was able to transform into a “secret weapon” on the front lines of Liverpool, especially when the sharpness of the trio Firmino-Mane-Salah was able to suppress opponents. Evidently, although the playing minutes were relatively limited, Sturridge was still able to score crucial goals for Liverpool, as he did when met PSG (won 3-2), and Chelsea (1-1 draw). Arguably, Sturridge is now beginning to enjoy his new role as “supersub” at Liverpool, with him again shining.
Interestingly, what Sturridge has shown lately has become a new element in the design of Klopp’s tactics at Liverpool, namely “plan B”. Previously, this tactic element seemed to be a taboo for Klopp, who relied heavily on the trio of Firmino-Mane-Salah. But, the tragedy of injury to Mohamed Salah in last season’s Champions League final, seems to change Klopp’s view, with him starting to involve Sturridge. On the other hand, the emergence of Sturridge as a “super sub” Liverpool proves, however small the role of a player in a team, he can still make a positive contribution. With a note, that role can accommodate the player’s abilities and team needs as well.
It is interesting to wait, how is the journey of Sturridge’s progress, as Liverpool’s new secret weapon.
ASL
Adrian Limanto
