England can emulate Liverpool, says Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge has called on England to follow Liverpool’s example and mount an unlikely challenge for FIFA World Cup glory.

Sturridge formed one half of a lethal strike partnership with Luis Suarez at Anfield this season, as Liverpool came agonisingly close to claiming a first top-flight title since 1990, eventually losing out by two points to Manchester City.

Few had given Brendan Rodgers’ men a chance of mounting a title challenge before the start of the season and, in similar fashion, Roy Hodgson’s England side are considered little more than outsiders in Brazil.

However, Sturridge – buoyed by a return of 21 Premier League goals – sees no reason why England cannot compete against the best teams in the world.

“There are other nations that are in a similar situation to us,” he said. “There are no real favourites at this World Cup. Everyone’s got a chance.

“It’s like when you look at the Premier League last season. Nobody would’ve said Liverpool would be challenging or have a chance of winning it. So regardless of whether we have pressure or not, whether people are saying we’ll win it or we won’t – it doesn’t matter.

“It’s a different level of football to the Premier League. You have to understand it’s everyone’s dream to play in the World Cup. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid, so for me I’m just excited about it.”

Rather than dwell on the disappointment of missing out on the title, Sturridge insists Liverpool have moved on and have started to appreciate what was a superb campaign, including securing a return to the UEFA Champions League after a four-season absence.

He added: “It was boxed off the day after we lost it. You’ve got to move on. Your lives have to move on.

“It obviously wasn’t a great feeling, but we set ourselves the target of getting into the Champions League and we achieved that, so everybody’s content.

“But sometimes you get so close, you feel like you’ve almost won it and then don’t achieve that – it’s disappointing.”