Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Leicester City certainly proved that the Reds can be a handful when they get it going. The Merseyside club were playing their first game at home and they were brilliantly led by Sadio Mane and company. Daniel Sturridge too had a pretty good game and his movement was key to many goals that the Reds scored.
That performance should have laid rest to claims that the Englishman is not willing to adapt to his new role. The striker was often seen moving out wide and letting the likes of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane move into the central striker’s position. It is this movement that allowed Firmino to open the scoring.
Apart from his injury issues, the bigger concern from last season was the fact that Sturridge was not seen as a “Jurgen Klopp” striker. Sturridge might be one of the best finishers in the game but his movement into the wide spaces was always an issue as he prefers to play down the middle.
That was one reason why he left Chelsea and joined Liverpool back in 2013 and he did have a successful time playing as a striker under Brendan Rodgers but Klopp is a different manager who has a different outlook for the team.
Liverpool’s entire forward line actually has to play as a unit and every player has to cover for another. As seen in the most recent game against Leicester City, the trio of Sane, Firmino and Sturridge were constantly moving about and switching positions.
This gave Liverpool a dynamic attack and does fit Klopp’s playing style. Looking back at his Borussia Dortmund team, Jurgen Klopp did start with a central striker in Robert Lewandowski but the German manager tinkered with his side and came up with a frightening attacking trio as well.
Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were the players moving behind the main striker. Even when Robert Lewandowski left, the Dortmund side played some great football and most of it started with the incredible movement and link up play from the players right at the top of the attack.
Sturridge isn’t a Lewandowski by any means but he is close to Aubameyang. The English striker is quick and is now willing to take up positions that he would never have thought about two years ago. But that is the kind of evolution players will have to go through with Klopp managing the side.
The English striker is now back to his best, at least this game suggests so, and he could easily be the striker that Klopp wants in his Liverpool side.
