Jurgen Klopp’s use of Daniel Sturridge is a source of considerable frustration for the Liverpool striker.
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“Obviously in the modern day game you have to try to be flexible”.
“They need to play against us and that’s the thing, so I’m not too interested in where they develop but, of course, we know they are strong, that’s the only thing we need to know”.
“When I’m in the middle I have clarity on movements and things that I have been been doing for years”.
“Well, I have to do a job for the team”, he said after revealing that it was more hard to make the same impact on the wing as in his favoured position up front, where he claims to be on autopilot. “We can’t just rely on Sadio but he’s been outstanding for us and he gives us something different”.
“You can’t play the same as you do as a centre-forward if you play wide”.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not concerned about Daniel Sturridge’s recent comments about his position in the team.
“There are no secrets with the important people, I would say”. ‘Like I said, it’s not that you play there and wait for something to happen.
However, Klopp declined to lavish praise on the 24-year-old African as he analysed the £30m signing’s start to life as a Liverpool player.
Sturridge’s two goals were his 10th and 11th of 2016 in a Liverpool shirt (from 21 appearances) – already a huge improvement on a disappointing 2015 when he scored just 8 goals for the reds (also in 21 appearances).
“Burnley and Burton weren’t games where I needed an offensive winger”, he added. The England global gave the impression that he never feels comfortable in that sort of position, whereas he said that as a No9 everything comes so naturally to him that it feels as though he is “on autopilot”. The rest [of the team] is very experienced and has played together one-and-a-half or two years almost but they are still young so there’s still space for development.
“There is absolutely no problem”, Klopp told reporters on Thursday when asked about the forward’s apparent complaint.
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“When he’s not involved anymore in defending, you need a smart striker that takes the centre-back out of the protection position for the opposition into a place where he doesn’t feel comfortable”.
