IT’S STRUGGLE STURR
EVERY KICK, EVERY GOAL, EVERY GAME Daniel faces uphill fight to make first team
JURGEN KLOPP insists Daniel Sturridge does NOT have a mountain to climb to get back into the Liverpool team.
But the Reds boss admits it could be an uphill struggle for the England striker because his current front three have a massive advantage over him.
Liverpool great Graeme Souness ruffled feathers by claiming Sturridge had a “mountain to climb” to get back into the starting line-up because of the quality of his rivals.
Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were all picked ahead of Sturridge at Spurs, where Danny Rose’s equaliser cancelled out a first-half James Milner penalty.
And Divock Origi was first off the bench, with Sturridge, who has complained about his wide role in recent weeks, not making an appearance until the 88th minute.
Asked about the comments by Souness, Klopp said: “Actually, why should I think about something like this? Daniel Sturridge is a wonderfully skilful player.
Advantage
“But I can only pick 11 players for the start. I make these decisions, never against one player, so I’m really happy that we have him and he will play, he will score and all will be good.
“He’s now made three games. He did not have a perfect pre-season, that’s how it is. A few other players had more pre-season. They played together. These guys up front played together.
“They’ve trained from the first day of pre-season together so, of course, that’s an advantage.
“Then when you see when it was still 1-0, we needed someone to come on for the counter attack, that’s Divock and unfortunately even though he was running we didn’t find him.
“A few players have rhythm, a few don’t and then you have to judge for the moment. But there’s no big mountain for him.
“It’s a good team, thank God. Hopefully we can make different line-ups for different games.”
Klopp’s decision-making was vindicated in a first half dominated by Liverpool, who scored just before half time when Erik Lamela tripped Firmino.
Milner stepped up to send Michel Vorm the wrong way from the spot but Rose equalised in the 72nd minute from Eric Dier’s cross.
Vorm, in for the injured Hugo Lloris, ended up being Tottenham’s man of the match, racing off his line several times to clear like a sweeper MICHEL VORM Sweeper keeper DELE ALLI Struggling badly keeper. But he insisted he is not a frustrated full-back, saying: “No, no, no. You know with the way they play it can happen but I did not expect it to happen so many times.
“It is good, though. I think we did very well. I want to see how far I ran because I have never been this tired after a game.
“For a game like this, with the speed Liverpool have up front and us playing a high line, you know you have to be ready as a goalkeeper. And I think I ran the most miles ever in a game.”
Vorm knows he’ll have to keep playing out of his skin to keep his place in the side when skipper Lloris comes back from his injury.
He said: “Hugo has played a very important part in our last two seasons. That’s something you don’t forget as a manager. And Hugo is our captain as well.
“I know that when I am given my chance I just have to do the best I can.”
Vorm’s heroics were not enough to end Milner’s record of 42 games unbeaten in matches where he scores.
The makeshift Reds full-back said: “I don’t think about it.
“Someone told me about it after the game. It was not even on my mind. It is one of those things.”
And Vorm’s man of the match display also wasn’t enough to stop the Tottenham team coach leaving without him after the game. But he didn’t seem to mind. TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): VORM 8; Walker 5 (Janssen 28, 5), Alderweireld 7, Rose Vertonghen 6, 7; Dier 6, Wanyama 6; Eriksen 5 Lamela (Winks 90), Alli 5 5; Kane 5 (Onomah 63, 6). Subs: Davies, McGee, Son, Carter-Vickers. UP NEXT: Stoke (a), Premier League, Saturday, September 10. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): MIGNOLET 7; Clyne 6, Matip 6, Lovren 6, Milner 7; Henderson (Stewart 6, Lallana 6 90), Wijnaldum 6; Mane 7 (Sturridge Firmino 7, 88), Coutinho 6 (Origi 69). Subs: Manninger, Grujic, Moreno, Leiva. UP NEXT: Leicester (h), Premier League, Saturday, September 10. Referee: Robert Madley 6. YOUR TURN: Who scored for both teams when Spurs last beat the Reds, 2-1 at White Hart Lane in November 2012?