Daniel Sturridge “Can Still Be a Major Force”

All I want for the holidays is for Daniel Sturridge to start banging in goals again. That and a Playstation 4—I’m not having a mid-life crisis, you are. It’s been a slow start for Sturridge this season. He’s been on limited minutes thus far, though, and it was always more likely to be an uphill battle for Liverpool’s once-irresistible striker after the injury-heavy years he’s just been through.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby has had his eye on Sturridge of late and believes that the England forward just needs time.

“Apparently he’s training every day so that’s good in itself but now he needs to find his match legs,” said Molby.

“He looked off the pace but he’ll know that himself and will be as frustrated as the fans.

“There is no magic button you can press to find your form, Daniel needs to keep showing patience and working.

“I think he can still be a major force.”

That’s certainly the hope. But how much time will Sturridge be given to recreate even a modicum of the exceptional displays from seasons gone by? And will he be able to find his form while still remaining behind Roberto Firmino on the team sheet?

His chances won’t be few but it’s doubtful, especially given the erratic form of the squad right now, that he’ll be given a run of games in the hope that something magical starts to happen. But the team could sure use some of that old deadly finishing of his.

“Having the ability to finish chances is a rare skill,” Molby said, “and when he was at his peak he was among the best.

“You’re born with that ability. That’s not something you can go over in training. It’s about having a feel and awareness and he has that.

“It’s been a while though now and you start to worry whether he can hit those heights again.”

Many a footballer has lost out due to various and recurring injuries. Careers have fizzled. But there’s still seems to be some confidence from Jürgen Klopp, from the club, from the player himself that progress is happening, however slowly. Sturridge really COULD be a major force again for Liverpool. But how long do we wait?