Does anyone actually think...

[leftpeg]

Not that black and white though is it?

I think Klopp views Firmino as adding more to the team than Sturridge. It's not a straight toss up between the two - cos as you say, Sturridge is s better striker - it's who helps the team perform better, and Klopp would put Firmino ahead there.

FWIW, I think Firmino links better and more quickly with teammates than Sturridge. Clearly he's not gonna carry the same individual goal threat, but the manager thinks that gets offset by what he adds to the sum of the parts.

That's undoubtedly it and presumably that's why Klopp's the boss and I'm not. I just don't see it with Firmino. I'd love to be proved wrong this season.

 

[Frogfish]

I personally think this should be our attacking line-up when all is ready for selection:

.......................Wijnaldum..............................
............................Coutinho...........................
Mané.....................Sturridge.............Firmino

With Firmino and Sturridge swapping positions as we go.

The problem there though is that neither Firmino nor Sturridge like to play on the left, they are either central or 'inside right'. I prefer Coutinho central where you have him but think that Wijnaldum is better on the left. For me you have to choose 4 from 7 (Mane, Sturridge, Firmino, Coutinho, Wijnaldum, Origi, Lallana) for those 4 forward positions with Can+1 behind. Nice problem to have.

 

[doctor_mac]

In the majority of the games we play we will face a team that sits back and tries to prevent us from swarming over them and breaking on them. When teams sit back I don't think the defensive pressing qualities of Firmino or Origi are as important. So Origi may have started against Dortmund when both he and Studge were fit, but would Klopp make the same call playing West Brom, Sunderland etc., and especially at Anfield? No, and rightly so. Sludge's games to goals record is astonishingly good and he will continue to play more games than the others when fit.

 

[darkstarexodus]

What complicates things even more with Studge is that he's such a fluid forward player, drifting all over the place, so he needs to build up a really good understanding with everyone else in an attacking position, otherwise when everyone else is settled and you add him to the mix for a few games it can be chaos. When he had a really good run in the team with Suarez, Sterling and others, they interlinked superbly. When he's out for a long period then you're introducing someone who seems like a free spirit in an otherwise closely-knit group, and that can short-circuit the whole system unless you're lucky. He's still way off from developing any good understanding with Firmino - they often just end up looking at each other incredulously when a move breaks down - and obviously he has yet to do the same with the new recruits, so it's not just a case of getting him fit, it's also blending him into a pattern of play.

I think this is a really good point and raises the question as to how much of the tactical understanding between Sturridge, Firmino and others can be worked on whole Sturridge is out or at less than full fitness.

 

[rurikbird]

What complicates things even more with Studge is that he's such a fluid forward player, drifting all over the place, so he needs to build up a really good understanding with everyone else in an attacking position, otherwise when everyone else is settled and you add him to the mix for a few games it can be chaos. When he had a really good run in the team with Suarez, Sterling and others, they interlinked superbly. When he's out for a long period then you're introducing someone who seems like a free spirit in an otherwise closely-knit group, and that can short-circuit the whole system unless you're lucky. He's still way off from developing any good understanding with Firmino - they often just end up looking at each other incredulously when a move breaks down - and obviously he has yet to do the same with the new recruits, so it's not just a case of getting him fit, it's also blending him into a pattern of play.

I thought the understanding between Sturridge and Firmino was initially poor, but has improved by the end of last season and they also linked up well together in one of the pre-season games (against Roma, I think). Sturridge and Origi clicked right away and they destroyed Southampton in their first start together – I still think that's our most promising partnership.

Anyway, I don't think lack of understanding is a problem any more and I think it's too early to judge whether Klopp prefers Firmino to Sturridge when both are fit. In any case it's great to have quality alternatives like that in the team – now we don't have to fret every time Sturridge gets injured because it's fine with or without him.

 

[RedStar]

What complicates things even more with Studge is that he's such a fluid forward player, drifting all over the place, so he needs to build up a really good understanding with everyone else in an attacking position, otherwise when everyone else is settled and you add him to the mix for a few games it can be chaos. When he had a really good run in the team with Suarez, Sterling and others, they interlinked superbly. When he's out for a long period then you're introducing someone who seems like a free spirit in an otherwise closely-knit group, and that can short-circuit the whole system unless you're lucky. He's still way off from developing any good understanding with Firmino - they often just end up looking at each other incredulously when a move breaks down - and obviously he has yet to do the same with the new recruits, so it's not just a case of getting him fit, it's also blending him into a pattern of play.

Thats the impression I have of Sturridge too, that he needs time to settle and feel his way back into the team, that said Im almost certain there are multiple instances of him coming straight back from a lay off and tearing shit up (not his muscles) as soon as he gets back on the pitch so maybe the perception of Sturridge and the reality are not that close.

As to the original question I think if fit he starts more often than not, Klopp wont play the same team every week even if we do have comparatively fewer fixtures this year. In simplest terms hes the best forward at the club and he can score the sort of goals nobody else is capable of.