Liverpool got back to winning ways on Saturday against West Brom with Daniel Sturridge dropped from the starting line-up. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Jurgen Klopp’s men are more effective without their striker and the stats show why, writes Adam Bate…
Former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain is fond of recalling the tale of a selectors' meeting in which team-mate Graham Thorpe came under scrutiny by Mike Gatting. Thorpe was regarded as the best batsman in the country but Gatting was unconvinced. The question was asked: "What, apart from runs, does he bring to the party?"
For Hussain, this was reductio ad absurdum. Apart from runs? That was Thorpe's job. He was right to be baffled given that cricket is a series of individual battles every bit as much as it is a team game. But football is different. What does he bring apart from goals? That's a legitimate question in a sport of interdependent movement and fluid patterns of play.
It calls to mind the conundrum of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, a man whose name merits a mention in any debate about the identity of the finest English finisher in the game today. After all, it's only five months since Sturridge curled home a wonderful finish to give the Reds the lead in the Europa League final against Sevilla in Basel.
But there's been little else since. In fact, it's no longer a question of what Sturridge brings other than goals but whether he delivers them at all. There was a brace in the EFL Cup against Burton Albion and one for England against Malta. But in the Premier League, Sturridge has now gone more than 10 hours - 616 minutes to be precise - without finding the net.
Such a sequence will not last. But the challenge facing Sturridge is more complex and cannot be resolved by one going in off his backside. The goal drought will not go on but the problem is not going to go away that easily either. It's not just that Sturridge isn't scoring goals but that his very presence on the pitch damages Liverpool's chances of getting them.
He struggled to get into the game against Manchester United last week, touching the ball only 22 times as Liverpool failed to find their usual fluency. "We didn't play well," said Jurgen Klopp. "He didn't play with 100 per cent confidence." Only when Adam Lallana came on and Roberto Firmino was moved up front did the team begin to look a threat.
As a result, Firmino continued in the role against West Brom on Saturday with Sturridge dropped to the bench. The improvement was obvious and a pattern is developing. Ever since the opening weekend when Liverpool scored four at Arsenal in Sturridge's absence, the team has scored at a better rate without their best goalscorer.
"When everybody is fit, I think the team looks better without Sturridge at the moment," former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson told Sky Sports after the draw against United. "Roberto Firmino did better in terms of finding the spaces." Sturridge's tally of three assists in his last 33 Premier League games tells part of the story but there's more to it than that.
Klopp places huge importance on winning the ball back high up the pitch. It's fundamental to his philosophy of counter-pressing. Sturridge doesn't do it well. Indeed, there isn't much evidence that he has embraced it at all. Remarkably, the forward is yet to make a single tackle in 348 minutes of Premier League football this season.
The contrast with Firmino could hardly be clearer. The Brazilian makes a tackle or interception every 37 minutes. So far this season he has recovered possession once every 27 minutes compared to Sturridge's record of once every 87 minutes. Firmino covers more ground and he does so at a far greater intensity than the England international too.
In a sense, the comparison is unfair given that Firmino has spent time operating in a deeper role so more running and ball-winning might be expected. And yet, consider Firmino's efforts as a striker against West Brom. He made no fewer than 86 high-intensity sprints - the most by a Liverpool player this season. Sturridge averages just 54 per 90 minutes.
It was from one such run that Firmino was able to feed Sadio Mane for the opening goal against Albion on Saturday. Mobility from the forward is essential, helping to pull apart defences and open up spaces for others to exploit. It's working for Liverpool. They are the top scorers in the Premier League thanks largely to these goals from midfield runners.
But more than that, it serves a defensive purpose too; one that becomes a big factor against the best opponents. That was the explanation offered by Klopp for the omission of his striker at Tottenham. "Daniel Sturridge is a wonderfully skilled player," he said, "but I made the decision based on the kind of defending that was important for Tottenham."
It remains apparent that the Liverpool manager has huge respect for the talents of a player who has scored 55 goals in 100 appearances for the club. Sturridge is still in his plans and can expect more chances to make an impact. But there are clues in Klopp's comments that suggest he is attempting to coax more from his man.
Asked about the use of Sturridge on the wing against Burton, Klopp insisted that the role offered the opportunity to come inside. "That is how football works," he said. "It is not a fixed position." Take note: nor is the striker role in Klopp's system. More recently, he has taken a positive approach to Sturridge's situation even in the face of his shortage of goals.
"This moment is a good moment for Dan," claimed Klopp ahead of the weekend. "It is not easy. Most of his time in his life, football has been so easy because he is so skilled." He added: "I think it is a very useful moment in his career." The message is there. Sturridge can benefit from this experience if he learns the lesson from it.
For Klopp, that lesson is likely to be that hard work is the way to turn things around in tough times. Maybe then, and only then, can Liverpool's best goalscorer also become their best option up front. What does he bring apart from runs? Perhaps where Daniel Sturridge is concerned, making more runs would be a very good way to start.