Sport(The decline of sturidge)

Does Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge now
have a pace problem?
The speed stats that highlight the gradual
decline of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge.
Jamie Carragher knows better than most how
devastating Daniel Sturridge can be at the peak
of his powers. In the 11 games that the two
men started alongside each other for
Liverpool, Sturridge not only scored nine goals
but the team never lost.
Audio Editions
Click here to listen to thi
article
So the Liverpool legend's verdict on his former
team-mate following Liverpool's EFL Cup semi-
final exit to Southampton at Anfield on
Wednesday night would not have been made
lightly. Sturridge missed some good chances.
But the long-term issue is his pace.
"Sturridge is a completely different player now
to when he first came to Liverpool," Carragher
told Sky Sports . "The whole point of Liverpool
buying Sturridge under Brendan Rodgers when
I was at the club was that he gave us
penetration in behind, he had pace.
Jamie Carragher on why Liverpool are
effectively playing with 10 men
"But there was one occasion in the game
tonight where he fell over into the hoardings
in front of The Kop and I thought he had to get
that ball. I don't know if his pace has
completely gone or whether he's that worried
with injuries that he pulls out of something."
The Premier League tracking data supports the
argument that Sturridge's pace is now a
problem and the numbers are alarming for
anyone hoping that the player of old will ever
be seen again. His top speeds have been
declining for each of the past four seasons.
Sturridge enjoyed the form of his career
during Liverpool's title tilt of 2013/14, scoring
21 goals in 29 Premier League games. Only
Luis Suarez outscored him, but Sturridge
showed he could lead the line during his strike
partner's suspension, scoring in four games in
a row.
His pace was a key feature of his game and the
figures back that up. In 13 of his appearances
that season, he produced sprints in excess of
33 kilometres per hour. He was Liverpool's
quickest player in eight Premier League games
and the fastest man on the pitch five times.
But in the three seasons since then, it has
been a very different story. Not once has
Sturridge hit speeds of 33 km/h in a Premier
League game. Not once has he been the
quickest player for Liverpool, let alone on the
entire pitch. Injuries have taken their toll.
While the hamstring has been a recurring
issue, it was thigh and calf problems that saw
Sturridge miss 32 consecutive games in the
winter of 2014. In fact, he has not been
clocked at over 32 km/h in a Premier League
game since that autumn.
His latest hip injury hampered his preparations
for the current campaign and Sturridge's top
speeds are down once more. Indeed, in a
complete about-turn, he has had the lowest
top speed of any Liverpool starter in three of
his five Premier League starts this season.
Of course, his knack for scoring goals remains
formidable. Even over the past three injury-hit
seasons, Sturridge's 14 goals have come at a
rate of one every 161 minutes - putting him
among the top 10 finishers in the Premier
League in that period.
Clearly, he is still a force when the chance
presents itself, much like Robbie Fowler and
Michael Owen in their later years. But the
player who is able to stretch the play and
fashion those opportunities for himself appears
to be only a memory now.
"When you look at his Liverpool record - his
finishing and goal-to-game ratio - it's
fantastic," added Carragher. "But I'm talking
about his pace and overall game because when
he doesn't score it's like playing with 10 men."
The stats suggest that problem will not be
going away.
Also See: