Reds’ Sturridge back training, Gunners’ Özil ‘in control’
STRIKER Daniel Sturridge has returned to full training, taking him a step closer to making a first appearance under manager Jürgen Klopp when Liverpool take on his former employers Manchester City on Saturday.
The injury-prone England international missed the start of the season after returning from hip surgery and has made just three appearances this campaign.
A knee injury in training ruled him out of Klopp’s first game in charge, against Tottenham Hotspur on October 17, and a build up of fluid in the knee has kept him out of action ever since.
Klopp, whose first days at Anfield were marked by one injury set-back after another, including full back Joe Gomez and striker Danny Ings being ruled out for the season with cruciate ligament injuries, is expected to be able to call upon James Milner and Jordon Ibe for the City match this coming weekend.
Milner missed the 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace – Klopp’s first loss as Liverpool manager – with a hamstring strain, while Ibe missed a week’s training with a bruised knee, but both returned to training on Monday.
Sturridge, though, has not played a competitive fixture since October 4, and will be monitored by the club’s medical team as he continues to build up match fitness ahead of the City clash before a call is made on whether he will get to play a part against the club that handed him his Premier League debut.
Meanwhile, German midfielder Mesut Özil attributes his excellent form this season to a greater maturity in his Arsenal side, a factor that has allowed him to control more games.
The 27-year-old playmaker has been one of the club’s standout performers and has registered 10 assists in the Premier League so far, making him Europe’s most creative player.
Often criticised for a lack of consistency since moving to the Emirates from Real Madrid in 2013 for a club record fee, Özil has helped the Gunners to second in the league. The North London club is behind City only on goal difference.
“I think as a team you can see that we’ve become more mature. We’ve learnt from our mistakes and you can see on the pitch that we’re more steady,” Özil told the club’s website.
“We’ve had some setbacks this season but we’ve learnt from them and it shows on the pitch that my team mates are looking for me even more and I’m able to control the game better.
“You can see that we function well as a team,” the Germany international added.
Özil, who has scored two goals in 16 appearances this season, said Arsenal’s maturity has been more evident since the turn of the year, with the club having picked up more points than any other side in England’s top flight in 2015.
“When you look at the past seasons, we’ve always been a technically-strong team but when we played against big teams, we dropped points,” he said.
“In the second half of last season and in this year so far, we’ve proved ourselves against the biggest teams.”
“You learn from your mistakes and we can measure ourselves with the best. That distinguishes us as a team,” the World Cup winner added.
Arsenal travel to take on 13th placed West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday. – Reuters