Re: Sturridge || The Double Edged Sword #15

by Art Morte Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:56 pm

Yeah, about his decision-making, sometimes he could do better. On the other hand, I dunno. He is fantastic the way he is and I would be totally fine with it if he didn't improve at all, but kept this exact level for years to come.

by ExtremistEnigma Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:09 pm

Sorry, I disagree.. I don't really know his decision making can improve. He's fine with the way he is. He's a forward whose main job is to score goals and he does that job efficiently. He is pretty technically versatile too, and provides for his teammates often in APPROPRIATE amount. I feel its unrealistic to expect him to pass everytime he finds a better teammate because that simply isn't his role.

by mr-r34 Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:54 pm

Generally his fine, it's just when were on a run and we've won the game, he tends to try bag goals for himself.

by McAgger Mon Mar 17, 2014 12:45 am

Yeah I don't think his decision making is affecting us at all at this point. He tends to try to do it himself, and who can blame, when most games are already over.

by Fahim89 Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:37 am

The fact that you people are saying that he something to improve just makes me more excited! Improving on what he already is!!!!!!!! THAT IS EXCITING!!!!!!!

So hard to find the bad side of that Thumbs up

by Red Alert Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:58 am

Poor game from him last night.

Finishing was off.
He dived for the third penalty to get Vidic sent off, and then didn't get a penalty decision his way moments later when Carrick brought him down...

Meh. He'll score in the next game.

by Art Morte Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:47 am

You could say he dived, but on the other hand Vidic's tackle was coming late, didn't get the ball, and straight at Sturridge's feet, just didn't make contact, but Daniel probably could have gotten the contact if he wanted. I thought it was a penalty.

by Helmer Mon Mar 17, 2014 9:58 am

ExtremistEnigma wrote:Sorry, I disagree.. I don't really know his decision making can improve. He's fine with the way he is. He's a forward whose main job is to score goals and he does that job efficiently. He is pretty technically versatile too, and provides for his teammates often in APPROPRIATE amount. I feel its unrealistic to expect him to pass everytime he finds a better teammate because that simply isn't his role.

I think he is already great for us. The stats tell everything and if something is left to be told, you can see that actually on the pitch. But sometimes on the counter attack, he tends to hold the ball longer instead he can pass to runners who are in loads of space. I think everytime, he thinks, they are running to create space for me. I dont know if I am reading too much into small details. I think if he improves his decision making he will be WC.

by McAgger Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:35 pm

I'm glad the contact was avoided. That sort of challenge could cause an injury. Well done Danny boy. I hope he dives 9 more times and a penalty in each of the next matches by diving.

by Helmer Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:42 pm

I dont want any of player to earn reputation since it creats problems in the future and referees tend to turn blind eye :coffee:

but i was happy that he dived against the scums to win a penalty Razz

by Fahim89 Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:03 am

He dived one and was denied one!

BALANCE WAS RESTORED!

Thumbs up

by Red Alert Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:29 am

There will come a point today, as Liverpool’s team bus snakes through the streets of Cardiff, when Daniel Sturridge will zone out from those around him.

All conversation will stop, his phone will come out and Sturridge will devote all concentration to the small screen in front of him. If your instinct is to say this is a lack of manners, think again. It’s actually the start of an intricate pre-match routine, designed to bring him to fever pitch.

For on Sturridge’s phone is a compilation of the 28 goals he has scored in his 15 months as a Liverpool player. He analyses them relentlessly, imagining how the next header, volley or tap-in will look. Clearly the studying is paying off.

‘I watch the goals to get me in the mood and to give myself a vision of how I want the game to go,’ Sturridge explains, as he holds court in the media room at Liverpool’s Melwood training base. ‘I have got more clips as the season has gone on, but that’s good.

‘I will do the same routine against Cardiff. The clips now last around 15-20 minutes which is normally what the coach ride to a stadium takes, so it is perfect. I still get the same feeling every time I watch the video back.

‘After that in the changing room, I will be dancing and joking. A lot of players are straight-faced and serious, some are the opposite. It’s like that until about 10 minutes before kick-off and I am in the zone. Then there is no more joking about.’

This is a candid insight into the workings of a young man for whom the next few months will be momentous. As England’s main striker, expectation will grow the closer the World Cup comes into view but, before that, he could help his club achieve something remarkable.

Liverpool might be outsiders but there is no disputing they are in the thick of a pulsating title race and Sturridge has done as much as anyone to get them there. His fortunes have mirrored that of his team, on a constant upward spiral since the turn of last year.

If it was initially doubted whether Sturridge, who had been saddled with a reputation for being difficult, would be a good fit at Liverpool, it is now impossible to imagine Brendan Rodgers’s side operating without the 24-year-old.

Anfield’s stage suits him. Before he headed north, he spoke with a striker who knew what relentless goalscoring in a red shirt could do. Fernando Torres’s love affair with the Kop ended the day he joined Chelsea in 2011 for £50million but that did not stop him giving Sturridge some significant advice.

‘He always spoke very highly about Liverpool,’ says Sturridge. ‘When we were at Chelsea together he would say, “Liverpool are amazing”, and it wasn’t just him — it was Yossi Benayoun as well. They both said, “That club is the best I have played for”.

‘They said the fans will make you feel amazing and, at the time, I thought I need a bit of that in my life because I was low right then.

‘I need to feel good about myself, so it was an easy decision to come here. My dad (Michael), my uncle (Dean, the former Derby striker) and I all shared the same opinion: this was the best place to go. When Liverpool came in, it was one of those situations that I just wanted to get up the M6 as quick as possible, sign on the dotted line and get to work.

‘I was desperate to get here and show what I could do. I was hungry and I am still hungry. There is so much for us to achieve.’

What they might achieve in the next nine games, starting against Cardiff, has supporters daring to dream. Sturridge was only eight months old when Liverpool last ruled the land but this, perhaps, is their best chance since 1990 and if he and Luis Suarez keep scoring, anything is possible.

Between them they have plundered 43 goals in the Barclays Premier League but that has not stopped the perception that there is some friction between the pair, not least when Suarez has been caught on camera berating his partner for not passing.

‘Yeah well, I do the same to him!’ Sturridge responds. ‘Luis does have a go at players but that’s because he wants the best. I want the best, too, the same as Stevie (Gerrard). We all do. We are at a stage now where we have to push everyone to their maximum.

‘Some players respond to shouting, some don’t. Everyone is different and that is one of a manager’s strengths to understand that some don’t respond to that.

‘But I feel that as a team, if we push each other to our limits, we can achieve something.’

Having dubbed Gerrard ‘James Bond’ — Sturridge feels there is nothing Liverpool’s captain can’t do — and Philippe Coutinho ‘David Blaine’ as he is ‘a magician’, Sturridge is working on a nickname for Suarez but only once they have taken care of the serious business.

There are more goals to be scored and while Sturridge regards the glancing header that salvaged a 3-3 draw against Everton in November as his favourite so far, the best — and most important —may be yet to come.

‘At the beginning of the season the aim for everyone was to get into the Champions League,’ says Sturridge, who already has a title medal from his spell with Chelsea. ‘But as time has gone on and we have done well, now we’re getting towards the business end and we’re up there.

‘A lot of people’s perception is that maybe we can win the league. There are others in a better position so we just have to take each one as it comes and see where we end up. When I came here it was a dream, of course, to be involved in winning titles.’

Torres helping us tap up Daniel. :bow:

by Helmer Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:06 am

this lad is surely going to be WC...characters like these emerge as something different in football :bow:

by donttreadonred Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:43 pm

The interesting thing about Sturridge is that he doesn't look like he's fulfilling his potential yet.

Physically, he's most certainly there. He's incredibly quick, he's strong enough to hold off nearly any defender, and his technique leaves very little to be desired.

As many of you have pointed out, the opportunity for improvement lie mainly in his decision making. That's not to say the his decision making is awful, right now. His goal-scoring and assist stats prove that. The fact that we still see opportunity for more, is incredibly encourging.

Every now and then, you do see Sturridge make a what appears to be a glaring error. He passes instead of taking the shot. He takes the shot when another teammate is clear through at the back post. These types of errors are often chalked up to strikers, "looking to bring others into the play" (usually a positive comment) or "doing what he's paid to do" (also, usually a positive comment). For many strikers, these would be considered positive attributes. However, it seems that Sturridge is in a difficult situation for several reasons.

One problem is that he's playing with one of the best footballers in the world, at the moment. If Suarez has a decent opportunity at goal, the assumption is that he WILL convert it. Therefore, if he doesn't pass to Suarez (and fails to convert himself), he's viewed as selfish.

The other problem, is that he's one of the best forwards in the league at the moment.When he has a good opportunity at goal, he's likely to convert, as well. If he passes (and the move breaks down), he's invariably blamed for not taking the opportunity himself.

Sturridge is attempting to negotiate and maintain a very delicate balance between faith in his own ability and faith in his world class partner. Does he make the correct decision all the time? No, of course not. But, for a player who only had 47 premier league starts before coming to Anfield, he's doing pretty well. In truth, these potentially world class partnerships are difficult for grizzled veterans to maintain. That Suarez and Sturridge have struck up an excellent relationship from the first moment is frankly incredible.

by mr-r34 Tue Apr 01, 2014 1:20 am

Anyone else noticing how easy he is "going down" now, hope it's just a patch.

by Red Alert Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:52 am

He's been "going down" since the start of his career. Well, since the first time I've seen him play.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if he stops exaggerating the contact, he'll start getting a lot more calls. He goes down worse than Luis lol.

by Helmer Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:27 am

yeah in chelsea also he used to go down very easily but actually part of that comes from his sheer speed. But he has still improved compared to his chelsea days, BR must have played some role in that.

by Art Morte Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:17 am

Yeah, that tackle by, umm, Kaboul I think it was, I don't think there was contact to Sturridge. Very similar to that Vidic tackle where he won the penalty. However, when you are running that fast, it can mess up your rhythm and balance just to get a sudden obstacle somewhere near your feet. Like a natural reaction "woah, what's that" and you've lost your stride.

by Curtinho Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:11 pm

I actually think there was contact with Sturridge's back foot on that tackle, but he also looked like he was already going down. Don't like flopping of any form so I hope he cleans it up as Suarez seems to have recently.

by McAgger Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:14 pm

I'm glad he jumps over those challenges. If he doesn't (both Kaboul's and Vidic's challenges have a high chance of getting him really hurt since they they are both super late and would go right though him. Think it's just a reaction he has to prevent getting hurt which I'm glad he does.

by Art Morte Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:05 pm

HEIL MEIN REDS wrote:sorry but he needs to improve his decision makings...specially next season we will be playing in Europe and I think he needs to pass it sometimes to others who are in good position to take the ball forward or to create something from the instead carrying the ball himself all the time. Sometimes he of course does brilliantly to get involved in the game but I still think he can improve on that.

You know what, after today's game I may have to give you a bit more credit for this post than I originally did. What an off game by Sturridge against West Ham. Always rushing to shoot the moment he got the slightest of opportunities, none of them which were very great. Would have been better of passing it more today, now he was just trying to force it.