Klopp Explains His Decision To Substitute Sturridge Early Against Chelsea

Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-2 in the Premier League in Friday night’s late kick-off. The Reds put on a dominating show, completely dominating the first half with a solid attacking display. Chelsea stepped up their game in the second half and got a goal as a result, but Liverpool dug deep to demonstrate grit and courage and ensured they went back with all three points.

Liverpool have had the toughest start to the season and have yet managed to grab 10 points out of 15, with the only disappointment coming against Burnley. Their three trips to London have been rewarded with wins against Arsenal and Chelsea, and a draw against Spurs.

Liverpool possesses one of the most lethal attacks in the Premier League. The acquisition of Sadio Mané has only added to the same. The fact that the Reds own that many good attackers means someone is left behind, and there is speculation. Recently, it has been regarding Daniel Sturridge. Several media outlets reported that the 27-year old wanted to make a move to Arsenal and was pushing for a deadline day move.

Clearly, the striker ended up staying squashing these rumours. However, there is still plenty of speculation doing rounds, something that accentuated when the striker was subbed off relatively early in the second half at Stamford Bridge.

“I couldn’t see that he could sprint anymore. That is why I changed it,” Klopp said, via NBC Sports. “We had a healthy, young striker on the bench; that is all.

“First half was really good from Daniel. In the second half, we need this player there in the centre we can play with, and if there is a ball in behind sometimes then he can go there, and we can push up the last line”.

As Sturridge directly went to the tunnel, there was also a question about the player going to receive treatment, but Klopp relieved worried Liverpool supporters that it wasn’t an injury issue.

“I don’t think it is an injury; it is only the situation. Nobody told me about an injury. All is good.”

While Jurgen Klopp may seem all smiles and hugs on the pitch, the German has firm belief that players must have a strong team ethic and not believe they are good enough to be always indulged. Since Luis Suarez left the club, Sturridge has been the most important player for the team, despite all his injuries. This will naturally lead any player to think their place is granted and makes them complacent. Klopp is asking the Englishman to fight for his place.

What the German seems to be doing is managing Sturridge well and ensuring he extracts the most out of the entire team’s abilities to get Liverpool desired results and a place in the top 4 at the end of the season. More shouldn’t be made out of this situation.