The return of Daniel Sturridge can help to transform the fortunes of Liverpool FC according to manager Brendan Rodgers.
Advertisement
Rodgers said during his last talk to the press: “Before Aston Villa’s game we never scored three goals in one game because of Sturridge’s absence”. It’s obviously not the flawless situation, because the manager is under enormous pressure, and that then transmits to the players and the fans.
Liverpool have done well when they have played with two strikers up front.
That is not the only statistic that damns him, adds Tweedale, who points out that Liverpool’s possession stats have fallen every season under Rodgers.
With the Merseyside derby coming up at the weekend, Brendan Rodgers is expected to ring the changes on Thursday and deploy a second string XI.
Klopp famously signed centre back Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski whilst in Germany, and Liverpool fans will be hoping that his transfer prowess would continue at Anfield.
The difference Sturridge made against Villa was a reminder of just how much Liverpool have been missing.
With 31 games still to be played, I reckon, those predicting doom and gloom for the Reds and City take a step back and realise that it is still far too early to be making judgments on any team or manager. The basic equation is that without the England man in the team, Rodgers’s side simply struggle to threaten the opponent’s goal often enough, and even when they do, they struggle to score. He scored five times as the club finished a disappointing sixth in the league.
The Reds boss is now fighting to keep his post at Anfield and has pointed out that the loss of Sturridge was massive to the side.
We will have a clearer picture of Rodgers’ capabilities and Liverpool’s chances this season after these matches. All of a sudden, he doesn’t turn into a bad manager, it’s fine margins. His gameplan was destroyed and he had to start again, which is not easy.
Advertisement
The win was a welcome boost for a Liverpool side who came in for criticism after a somewhat laboured penalty shoot-out win over League Two Carlisle in the Capital One Cup followed a run of four games without a win in the Premier League.
