The reaction to Daniel Sturridge bagging his first Premier League goal of the season in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Stoke has been incredible.
He deserves the praise he is getting and the focus that is being shown towards his quality and importance to his side.
Liverpool legend John Aldridge is the latest to hail the striker for his efforts in recent weeks as well as what he can offer Jurgen Klopp’s side between now and the end of the season.
In his column for the Liverpool Echo, he said: “People don’t realise how big a deal that first Premier League goal of the season is for Daniel Sturridge. A drought like that does get to you and a weight will have been lifted from his shoulders.”
“He took his goal brilliantly. It was a real poacher’s effort. Some might have frozen in that position but he made it look easy.”
“With Sadio Mane off to the Africa Cup of Nations, Sturridge will get more game time over the coming weeks. He could be the key to us maintaining a title challenge.”
“Technically, he’s the best striker we’ve got and his all-round ability brings a lot to the team. If we can keep Sturridge fit and he gets us a dozen goals then that will take us a long way towards achieving what we want this season.”
Two brief yet eventful cameos from Sturridge have been enough to give his manager something to think about. It will be difficult to keep a player of his quality on the bench if he continues to make the kind of immediate impact that he has in the last couple of games.
The criticism towards his lack of goals in the league this season has been incredibly unfair, not only because he has barely played anyway but also because the entire team has started to find the back of the net.
It is a team effort and all that matters is that the team is scoring goals and winning.
He is still vital to Liverpool’s chances of success this season, regardless of the idea that he might not fit Klopp’s style of play.