Liverpool FC - Sturridge the player Liverpool wanted Carroll to be

Liverpoolai??i??s Daniel Sturridge has been in great form since joining the Reds in January. TheHardTackle explains why he is the player Liverpool supporters wanted Andy Carroll to be.

Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge - SAS | Why Sturridge is the player Liverpool wanted Carroll to be — ‘SAS’ have combined very well up front

Liverpool supporters have been fortunate to witness a number of great strikers ply their trade at Anfield over the years, and were hoping for the same when Kenny Dalglish became the manager in January 2011. Hopes of a Torres-Suarez partnership never materialized. But Andy Carroll joining the Reds gave supporters hope that he would form a partnership with Luis Suarez reminiscent of the ai???big-man-small-manai??i?? combo of John Toshack and Kevin Keegan. Dalglishai??i??s plans did not materialize, but in a strange twist of fate, this also meant that Andy Carroll got a fresh start away from Liverpool, Suarez began to realize his full potential and in Daniel Sturridge, he now has an able strike partner with whom can he can link up with deadly results. They arenai??i??t quite Rush and Dalglish, but positive performances over a sustained period of time evoke supportersai??i?? memories of the glorious past; something the Suarez-Carroll partnership failed to do while the latter was Anfield.

Similarities between Sturridge and Carroll

Come to think of it, there are striking similarities between Daniel Sturridge and the Gateshead-born Andy Carroll. For starters, both players favour their left foot. Andy Carroll opened his Liverpool account with a thunderbolt against Manchester City, while Sturridge scored a similar goal early in his Liverpool career against the same opponents. Andy Carrollai??i??s game relies on putting his 6ft 3in frame to good use, using it to dominate opponents in the air. Sturridge, though, is no midget. He too uses his physical strength to hold off opposing defenders and create space not just for Luis Suarez, but also for those who make runs from midfield. Liverpool supporters can breathe easy, though, as this is where the similarities end.

Where Sturridge scores over Carroll

Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll - Liverpool | Why Sturridge is the player Liverpool wanted Carroll to be — Suarez-Carroll never really took off

Daniel Sturridge has been more successful than Andy Carroll was at Liverpool; and not without reason. He is a ai???better fitai??i?? for the plans of Brendan Rodgers. The gaffer looks for players who are comfortable with the ball at their feet. Moreover, unlike Carroll, he is capable of playing in more than one position. He prefers to play up top, but is equally capable on the right flank, while the recent 3-4-1-2 experiment has now shown that both he and Luis Suarez can play in their favourite positions at the same time. Also, another wonderful thing about Sturridge’s game is that he is not overly dependent on pace. While a study conducted by Nike found Andy Carroll to be the world’s 10th fastest player (cue the shock and awe), the West Ham centre forward did not have that turn of pace and agility to move around as well as Sturridge does.

Considering his fabulous goal return ever since he joined the club, Sturridgeai??i??s link up play is often overlooked. In 25 games for the Reds, he has already racked up more assists than Andy Carroll did during his entire time at Liverpool (seven against Carrollai??i??s six). This does not even include that oh-so-wonderful dummy that set up a Luis Suarez goal against Norwich City in January ai??i?? not bad for a player often derided for his ai???lack of awarenessai???. This rubs off on others too – Suarez often trusts Sturridge; it was not the same while Carroll was around, as Suarez would choose to take a shot rather than pick a pass.

He is capable at providing crosses too; like the one that set up Luis Suarezai??i??s last goalAi??last season. He may use his 6ft frame to good effect; but his natural instinct is to use his feet on the ball, and his head to think. Carroll, on the other hand, is not as leaden-footed as the press would have you believe. But the fact that using his feet was not his natural instinct resulted in him being isolated up front, while failing to involve players like Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt.

Another area where Sturridge scores over Andy Carroll is his positional sense. Hoping to create goalscoring opportunities by way of knockdowns is not a bad idea, but the former Newcastle manai??i??s tendency to use his head (for heading, not thinking) meant that he was often positioned far from Luis Suarez. This meant that his headers would often fall into the hands of opposing goalkeepers rather than to the feet of Luis Suarez. In fact, there were occasions in theAi??2011-12 seasonAi??when his positional sense was beyond poor, he was often nowhere to be seen when Stewart Downing whipped crosses into the penalty area ai??i?? part of the reason why Downing had that horror show of a season.

Daniel Sturridge - Liverpool striker - Action Areas vs Fulham — Sturridge dropped deep during the trip to Fulham; but positioned himself very well

In what was his best performance, Daniel Sturridge scored a hattrick during Liverpoolai??i??s trip to Fulham. The game may be remembered for his goals, the map showing his work on the pitch is a good indicator of his qualities. All three of Liverpoolai??i??s goals were scored on the counter that afternoon. The Reds may have walked away with a 3-1 margin of victory, but Fulham had ample opportunity to score more than once that day. Jamie Carragherai??i??s (lack of) pace meant that Liverpool defended much deeper; hence the midfield and the frontmen needed to drop deeper in order to lessen the available space for the likes of Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov. Sturridge also missed a few gilt-edged chances to add to his tally, meaning he was often at the right place at the right time; and also set up goalscoring chances for the likes of Fabio Borini and Philippe Coutinho. He does an adequate job of tracking back and helping out in defence ai??i?? something that would undoubtedly please the manager.

Where Sturridge can get better

When asked about the goal Sturridge scored with his hand against Sunderland, Brendan Rodgers joked that ai???he needs to work on his headingai???. The managerai??i??s statement is self-explanatory. He has the height and the physical stature to be able to add this facet to his game. This will make him a bigger threat at set pieces than he is, at present, something Andy Carroll was during his time at Anfield. It will not be a radical change in the way he plays the game; rather it will add more variety to his arsenal. On the other hand, Andy Carroll joined Liverpool with a reputation for being extremely good in the air. Unlike with Sturridge, this counted against him, as he was often marked by more than one defender.

The former Manchester City academy graduate also needs to work further on his decision making. His link-up play until now as well as the number of assists he has accumulated is evidence that improvement has occurred. The win at Sunderland indicated how well his partnership with Luis Suarez has developed, assisting both goals scored by the Uruguayan. However, there are occasions when his ai???selfish streakai??i?? takes precedence. Every centre forward must be selfish, and while he is in form, it is not a bad thing. However, this can prove to be disastrous for Liverpool were the goals to dry up at any point this season, or in the future.

What lies ahead

The partnership of SAS has not yet had enough time to blossom. This can be looked as good news for Liverpool supporters, as the lack of European football gives the Reds no choice but to focus on the League this season. This will ensure that the SAS combo will be seen up front whenever fully fit. The presence of a 3-4-1-2 over the next few weeks will give both Suarez and Sturridge the opportunity to play in their natural positions, to improve their link-up play with each other as well as with Philippe Coutinho when he returns.

The future of Luis Suarez, however, would worry Liverpool supporters ai??i?? more so given that he has combined so well with Sturridge. The Englishman was brought in with the aim of supporting Luis Suarez (just as Carroll was two years prior) and the results have been exactly as hoped. Were Luis Suarez to leave, this could disrupt Daniel Sturridge in the future, as well as make it harder to find a strike partner as versatile across the front end of the pitch.

This is in no way meant to be a dig at Andy Carroll. The lad clearly wanted to play for Liverpool, but it does not work out for everyone. He is now at a club where he is once again their main man, is enjoying his football, and could well go on to have a pretty good career. That being said, Daniel Sturridge has given every indication that he could be another prolific striker to grace the Anfield turf, while fulfilling his role of being exactly the kind of player Liverpool supporters hoped Andy Carroll could be.

Liverpool FC – Sturridge Is The Player Liverpool Wanted Carroll To Be

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