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SAS. Suarridge. Danuis. Luniel. Sturrez. The Twin Terrors. 7:15 Wake-Up Call. Knack and Skill. Mate and Potatoes. Whatever your chosen nickname for the duo, it's hard to deny that Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are the striking pairing of the season in England and perhaps all of Europe.
That they're both having phenomenal seasons despite missing large swathes of the fixture list is impressive; that they're combining spectacularly during the handful matches they've actually played together is nearly transcendental. The two combined for two goals and two assists during Sturridge's reintroduction to the team as a substitute against Stoke on Sunday, and the striker spoke briefly on how it feels to play with the incandescent Uruguayan.
"It's very special for me, he's a world-class player," said Sturridge in an interview with the Liverpool Echo. "We've got other world-class players out there and it's important that as a team and a unit we keep working hard, take each game as it comes and try to get maximum points in every game we play."
It's clear that Sturridge hasn't missed a tick despite his long injury layoff, and like any player in his situation he'd rather have been on the pitch than off it. But coming back to a side that continued to get results in your absence is a good thing overall, and Sturridge is happy to once again become a key cog in the Liverpool machine going forward.
“Being out of the fold has been very hard for me mentally, but it's also good that we've been getting results and working very hard as a team," the striker said. “It's very hard when you're on the side, watching a team, and you want to be involved in the fun and be out there.
“I'm just happy that we're up there within touching distance and we're in the top four. It's great to be a part of it.”
With SASuarridge having scored more goals combined than each of 15 teams in total in the league, Sturridge's return can only strengthen Liverpool's position within that touching distance of the top. Whether his more defensively-minded teammates can assist with the other half of the equation remains to be seen.
