I expressed my reservations about how it will now work with Sturridge, back in the Summer. Suarez did a hell of a lot of donkey work for him, but he also led by example in terms of workrate and that could be infectious to those around him. Sturridge was pretty much your out and out striker who waited up top for service. He does have good ability to move out to the flanks and take people on, but by and large he thrives at being on the shoulder of the defender or running into channels. He was never going to put in the leg work to justify it enough in games where we need to defend from the front and not give teams a moment at the back. It can work when we're compact again, with Lucas in there and an attacking three supporting him, like Sterling, Coutinho and Lallana.
Throw Mario into the mix and, while on paper it looks like your typical hold up player complimenting a quick striker. I just don't see this as a partnership, it just seems a bit dead in the water to me. I'm sure they can hit it off, but what's the cost? Neither press enough and they like to wait for the ball into them, rather than to search out possession. As erratic as Sterling is infront of goal, he does roam and harass players, he does come deep to pick up possession and allow his team mates to overlap and interplay. He does the spade work and will give opponents something to think about when hanging on the shoulder.
Maybe when Origi comes in, this is what Rodgers is thinking, that he will provide the brute force and menace up top, to create space and take the burden off Sturridge (think about the work Kuyt did off the ball for Torres), in terms of altering his game - we want goals from him and we want to get the best from him without compromising too much on his focus of going for goal whenever an opportunity is there. But he does need to compromise his game in some respects, he needs cut out the lazy half arsed runs, the lay offs that he doesn't complete with conviction (while then scowling at his team mate), and he needs to learn to lead the line on his own.
It's a big adjustment and I don't think it was ever going to be a case of him just picking up where we he left off last season, he's having to alter his game and it will take time and a huge amount of frustration.
I understand obviously that he's just back from a lengthy layoff, but the (slight) concerns are there. He needs to work hard but we need to get the balance right. If last night showed anything, it's that we sorely missed our backbone of Sakho, Henderson and Coutinho.
Lovren, Allen and the front pair were far too lightweight and lacking in the industry that we've shown in recent months.
Throw Mario into the mix and, while on paper it looks like your typical hold up player complimenting a quick striker. I just don't see this as a partnership, it just seems a bit dead in the water to me. I'm sure they can hit it off, but what's the cost? Neither press enough and they like to wait for the ball into them, rather than to search out possession. As erratic as Sterling is infront of goal, he does roam and harass players, he does come deep to pick up possession and allow his team mates to overlap and interplay. He does the spade work and will give opponents something to think about when hanging on the shoulder.
Maybe when Origi comes in, this is what Rodgers is thinking, that he will provide the brute force and menace up top, to create space and take the burden off Sturridge (think about the work Kuyt did off the ball for Torres), in terms of altering his game - we want goals from him and we want to get the best from him without compromising too much on his focus of going for goal whenever an opportunity is there. But he does need to compromise his game in some respects, he needs cut out the lazy half arsed runs, the lay offs that he doesn't complete with conviction (while then scowling at his team mate), and he needs to learn to lead the line on his own.
It's a big adjustment and I don't think it was ever going to be a case of him just picking up where we he left off last season, he's having to alter his game and it will take time and a huge amount of frustration.
I understand obviously that he's just back from a lengthy layoff, but the (slight) concerns are there. He needs to work hard but we need to get the balance right. If last night showed anything, it's that we sorely missed our backbone of Sakho, Henderson and Coutinho.
Lovren, Allen and the front pair were far too lightweight and lacking in the industry that we've shown in recent months.
