Winning his 2nd Champions League title in his career, despite not being among the key players in Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge career is surely an interesting one and a career that could possibly continue in another club next season.
MADRID, SPAIN – JUNE 01: Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool poses with the trophy during the UEFA Champions League Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on June 1, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Daniel Sturridge, a 29-year-old English centre-forward has added his 2nd UEFA Champions League title to his resume on June 1st, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham in Madrid despite not stepping onto the pitch, which was not the first time Sturridge was left out of the Liverpool squad this season.
Looking at this year’s Champions League campaign, Liverpool only “needed” Sturridge in 4 games. Furthermore, Sturridge never started the Champions League match and only once played more than 45 minutes. His lack of involvement in the team is not exclusive to Champions League matches, but it also extends into the Premier League campaign. In the 2018/19 season, Sturridge started in only 4 EPL matches, got substituted into a match on 14 occasions and was left on the bench in 17 times Furthermore, out of 18 matches he played, Sturridge was kept on the field for the whole 90 minutes in only 3 matches and played less than 45 minutes in 13 out of those 18 matches.
Taking into consideration all his involvement or should we say his lack of involvement with the team in 2018/19 season, it would be fair to say Sturridge failed to leave a real mark in Liverpool and with that failed to properly contribute to the success Liverpool enjoyed this season. While it would be hard to completely disregard his 4 goals and 2 assists, the numbers are still rather low for a centre forward who was just exceptional in 2013/14 season when he joined Liverpool from Chelsea. But with slowly decreasing form, Daniel Sturridge understandably did not get a proper chance to represent his club, not in the Premier League nor in the Champions League. Failing to do so, there have been a lot of questions if his services will even be needed at Liverpool next season. When asked about his future, Daniel Sturridge answered:
“I feel like it has been an incredible time and I am not going to talk about next season or anything. What’s important now is celebrating something so momentous, something we were striving for, working for a long time. To finally win something is amazing. “
“It’s my second time winning the Champions League. It’s almost similar. The one with Chelsea was the first in the club’s history and this is the first under this manager, so it’s a similar kind of feeling.”
What the future holds in store for Daniel Sturridge, who has a total of 160 appearances, 68 goals and 26 assists for Liverpool is yet unclear. Should he stay at the club, he would most likely remain a 2nd string player, and that is surely not something he would like. Still having the strength and the ability to play on the top level, we believe Sturridge will be looking for another club he could represent and help them achieve their set goals. Taking into consideration he never left England, maybe it’s time for him to try another climate, in a different league. On the other side, Sturridge just might like the weather, which will mean he will look for another English team to join. Whether he remains at the club, moves to another country or moves to another English club, Sturridge mustn’t forget to add to his resume that he is the only player that has won the Champions League with two different Premier League clubs.
