Is Daniel Sturridge really a top striker?

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has come in for criticism for some of his performances this season

On Wednesday night Liverpool suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg.

The defeat meant that the Reds suffered a 2-0 aggregate defeat, having also lost the first leg 1-0 at St Mary’s.

One of the players that came in for heavy criticism after the semi-final was England international striker Daniel Sturridge, who missed some good chances in the second leg. His display in the first leg was best described as non-existent.

Jurgen Klopp not sure about Sturridge

Although many football experts believe that Daniel Sturridge is a top striker, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp does not seem to share that view. The England striker has struggled for game time with the Reds since the German took over the side from Merseyside.

Granted, Sturridge has been injured for some Klopp’s time at Anfield. However, even when the striker has been fit he has been left on the bench at times. Klopp has often preferred Roberto Firmino or even Divock Origi in that lone striker role.

Neither of the strikers could say they are better natural born scorers than Sturridge. However, they are players who are willing to play the role Klopp wants them to play. They will work hard and in Firmino’s case drop back into deeper positions.

Sturridge, on the other hand, is an out-and-out striker, who wants to be near the goal. He is not interested in harrying the opposition like Klopp wants his front man to do. In many ways, Sturridge and Klopp are a bad fit.

Sturridge is a goalscorer

To say that Daniel Sturridge is just a goalscorer sounds silly. Goals are the currency in which games are won. Without goals, a team does not win games, titles and silverware.

However, the modern game demands more of a central striker than just goals. He has to be mobile and work hard for the team. Sturridge is mobile, but his pace has been questioned of late. He will score goals, but the one constant criticism of the striker seems to be that he is a selfish player.

The striker has constantly denied this accusation in interviews. The 27-year-old believes that he is a team player. However, his natural striking instincts seem to lead him to be more selfish in his play.

In his three years at Liverpool, Sturridge has scored 58 goals in 108 appearances. That is a highly respectable record in front of goal. He has also scored eight goals in 25 appearances for England.

There is always a nagging indication that something is missing with Sturridge that is present in really top players. Whether that is his mental attributes or maybe it is overconfidence on his part. Something that makes the top player’s tick seems to be absence in the striker.

On his day he can be a good goalscorer and cause opposition defences no end of problems. Unfortunately, he does not have enough of those days.

Liverpool’s form slipped in recent weeks

Liverpool’s form has been worrying of late for everybody connected with the Reds. One win in seven in all competitions constitutes a poor run for the Reds. On Saturday they host struggling Championship side Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round, in a game the Reds are odds of 3/10 to win.

Liverpool needs to hit form again, with a big game against Chelsea in midweek in the Premier League. Sturridge could start the game against Wolves, as he attempts to regain his form in front of goal.

Whether Klopp trusts him to start against Chelsea remains to be seen. It would not be a major surprise to see the striker once again on the bench against the Blues.

Top strikers are the first on the teamsheet at the big clubs. They are not players who are benched for the big games because their boss does not trust them to perform.

For me, Sturridge is a very good striker. However, he will never be a top striker because he just does work harder enough or have the mental attributes to reach the top of his profession.

Is Daniel Sturridge really a top striker?