If you want proof of how much has changed under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, then it is through the prism of Daniel Sturridge you should look. In his first eighteen months at Liverpool, Sturridge's ego jostled with that of Luis Suarez up front for Liverpool, with the chafing benefitting Liverpool, enveloping countless opposition defences in the chaos of their one-upmanship. (See City, Norwich).
After Suarez left, Sturridge no longer had anyone to outscore. But now his battle was against himself. Sturridge remained prolific, but he also remained largely absent: frequent injury restricted him to just 14 league appearances, and as virtually the only goalscorer in Liverpool's squad, results drifted. His injury updates would be awaited with frenzied exasperation by Liverpool fans, knowing that the longer the latest prognosis, the fewer games Liverpool would win.
Then Jurgen Klopp arrived, was brazen enough to tell Sturridge that he had to learn what "real pain" was, before backtracking somewhat on it, citing translation difficulties. Nonetheless, point made. Over a year on, Sturridge is fit, but not firing.
Klopp is often loathe to praise individuals, given that gegenpressing is such a collective idea, but the manager has often reserved his highest praise for Roberto Firmino: Liverpool's false nine in Klopp's fluid attacking game plan. Firmino's absurd work ethic grants him the status of foreigner allowed the greatest freedom of movement in Britain, and is keeping an Englishman out of a job while he's at it.
It would have been unthinkable before Klopp arrived that Sturridge would not be considered first choice for Liverpool when fit, but that is now the reality. As much as he may have disliked Luis Suarez, Sturridge must find it galling to be now scrapping with Divock Origi for first reserve.
Sturridge's performances in recent weeks during the absence of Phillippe Coutinho and Sadio Mané have not been up to scratch, and he was poor in the seventy-five minutes he played against Plymouth last night.
Nonetheless, Liverpool still appreciate his quality, and his goal record remains outstanding: he has Liverpool's third-best Goals Per Game ratio in Premier League history, behind Fernando Torres and Suarez.
Both of those strikers wreathed Liverpool in glory before taking their leave against the club's wishes, whereas, for the first time in Premier League history, if Sturridge leaves Liverpool, it will be as much a decision by the club as it is a result of their top striker's agitating.
You have to go back to 1989 for the last time Liverpool felt they could afford to offload a prolific striker: John Aldridge, despite 63 goals in 104 games, was sold to Real Sociedad after Kenny Dalglish decided he preferred the returning Ian Rush. Aldridge spoke with us earlier this week (before the Plymouth game) on the Sturridge quandary, and admitted that, while Klopp is the main man at Anfield, Sturridge will have to adapt:
I'm pretty sure he hasn't the work ethic the manager wants. He is our best striker. He is our most prolific striker. The stats go before him. When he has played this year, he hasn't looked as dangerous as he has in the past.
He has to get back to that. He's got to try and work on what the manager tells him, and he has to try and play on the shoulder of centre-halves rather than drop into central midfield, right-wing, left-wing...I saw him at right-back at Southampton away. You need him up there, scaring defenders, not dropping back and playing in little pockets, leave that for the other players.
If he does that, and works his socks off, he'll score goals.
We've got a clever manager. We've a manager now who will only get players who are good enough for Liverpool Football Club. He won't get players for the sake of it, like we've had in the past. Loads of managers have just got players in for the sake of it. If they are not ready, and won't play in the way he wants, he wont get them.
He knows what he wants, and players must play in the way he wants to play, and that's why Daniel Sturridge doesn't play.
Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, told Sturridge on BT Sport that he should stay, stressing the unique Gerrard optimism that something better is always around the corner at Liverpool:
Maybe he is frustrated from week to week but there’s a great chance he could get silverware with Liverpool in the near future. If I were him I’d be patient. I think there’s good things on the horizon.
Gerrard is one of a few men who defined Liverpool teams in the Premier League era: McManaman and Fowler under Roy Evans; Owen and Gerrard under Houllier; Alonso, Gerrard, and Torres under Benitez; Suarez under Rodgers. They defined these teams as a succession of managers were unable to create a collective that was better than its parts.
Daniel Sturridge's problem is that Jurgen Klopp may be the man to buck that trend.
