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"I don't know if I could control myself." Words to be admired, at least for me, by Daniel Sturridge ahead of Chelsea's trip to Merseyside this weekend. After scoring the first of two Liverpool equalizers in a 2-2 draw last season at Anfield, the former Chelsea and Manchester City man appears to be embracing the wave of emotion that's swept through Liverpool from top to bottom. Surely nobody could begrudge him a dance or two if he manages to net against his old club considering the context? Except maybe the Chelsea supporters, which, okay that's fine.
If he does find a way to do so, it might have to come in a similar fashion to the one he scored last season--with his fitness in question, a start (or place in the squad) isn't cemented, and there's a chance he could once again come off the bench for Liverpool's latest biggest match of the season.
From Brendan Rodgers' presser earlier today:
"We will see. We'll give it another 24 hours. He's working hard with the medical team. So we shall see. But if he's not fit, we've coped before; we've managed before without a number of players. We'll go into the game with confidence. We'll assess that over the next 24 hours."
His absence against Norwich didn't appear to hinder Liverpool's attacking edge, at least in the first quarter of an hour, but as the match wore on you couldn't help but wonder if the visitors could have asserted themselves to the point of putting the match to rest far earlier. Such is the influence that Sturridge has had over the past 15 months since his arrival; goals have been hard to come by of late, with his touch letting him down and frustration seeping in at times, but having him in the pitch clearly improves Liverpool going forward, and his presence would be a huge boost on Sunday.
Even if it's only for 45 minutes or so and he manages to put together the most impressive ten minutes from any player in the known galaxy. Ever.
