First of all, let me preface the points I'd like to make by stating that the way we have treated Sturridge has been a long sequence of massive mistakes. We never gave him a chance at CF, we put him on the bench when he was doing well on the wing, we preferred Torres over him as a matter of principle rather than pragmatism, and now, we're selling him to a club that will be improved by his contributions, potentially to the point where they may challenge for the CL again. Let me emphasize that last point: we are selling the best English prospect at CF, greatly increasing the chances that the buyers, Liverpool, will compete with us for a European spot.
That said, here are the positives of the Sturridge transfer:
-We are likely to buy a new striker; probably someone decent
-Piazon may find himself a step closer to PL action
-Sturridge has been chronically injured this season, so he has not been a reliable backup for Torres. Whoever replaces Sturridge should have greater availability.
-Torres will continue to flounder, while Sturridge will impress at Liverpool. Roman will notice this, and this may result in a shakeup of the club's board and hierarchy.
Ever since Sturridge first took the field for City, it was clear he was a special player, and I was sort of in shock when the club acquired him, as at that point, we rarely acquired players that I considered to be top prospects. After that, we've basically stifled Sturridge's development. A 50M acquisition who had only one good full season in his entire time in England (sort of like an upscale Roque Santa Cruz) has been preferred to a player who could have had a long and glorious tenure at our club.
At this point, I'm thoroughly convinced that FFP rules are the only reason we are keeping Torres (given his massive wages, unless we sent him off to Anzhi, we'd probably have to give him away for free, and cover part of his wage bill - that is, he has a negative value), but that's a rant for another post...
The positive aspects of Sturridge's exit
posted on 23/12/12
but I doubt we will forget about Sturridge when he is banging in 20+ a season at Liverpool
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He's not gunna play as Liverpool's CF so that's highly unlikely. He'll be doing the donkey work either side of Suarez which he just loved to too with us
posted on 23/12/12
*loved to do with us
posted on 23/12/12
Lukaku's attitude is brilliant, he is a very intelligent guy and you can tell in interviews and by how he's going about building his career.
He's willing to do the hard graft, work with the right people and is completely aware of the need to constantly develop and not just sit and wait for development to happen.
All the right mental attributes to be a star.
posted on 23/12/12
TP we will see
posted on 23/12/12
Exactly TP. When he finds himself stuck out on the wing with the occassional game at CF, he'll have to move again.
posted on 23/12/12
JTHT, Lukaku is such a breath of fresh air. I loved all his mouthing off last year and at the beginning of this year - it was the venom of a player DESPERATE to make an impact. The fact he was insulting us why'll doing it registers as less than an afterthought to me.
And when he isn't winding himself up, he speaks with so much composure and intelligence, very pragmatic thinker who makes his ego work for him unlike Sturridge who works for his ego. When he scores his first goal at SB, i hope the place explodes
posted on 23/12/12
Doesn't matter what opposition he scored against, the fact that he was still scoring crucial goals for Liverpool is what matters.
'Big' games are just as important as the 'small' games in the PL,especially against teams battling for relegation.
In his last 1.5 years at Liverpool Torres still scored 33 goals in 53 apps, which is certainly not 'cacktacular'.
posted on 23/12/12
22 in 26 in last (full) season at Liverpool...
posted on 23/12/12
"Doesn't matter what opposition he scored against, the fact that he was still scoring crucial goals for Liverpool is what matters.
'Big' games are just as important as the 'small' games in the PL,especially against teams battling for relegation."
As you said, in the league, all games are important. Therefore, the ideal striker would be a guy who scores lots of goals, and is just as likely to score against a top team, middling team, or relegation-threatened team team. Look at RVP's record this season - he doesn't score three goals against Reading, then do nothing against Chelsea or City; instead, he's just as likely to score against all of them (at a glance, he actually seems to be marginally more likely to score against the top teams than against the QPRs of the league). Furthermore, a team's striker should be the player who is most skillful at getting a shot on target, and thus, should be its top weapon against the top teams. The whole point of a top CF is that he thwarts the best defenses. Ivanovic has scored against Reading, Wigan, and Norwich; Torres should be scoring against these guys, as well as the Manchester teams, and the top European teams. If goals against all teams matter, a great striker should be (given reasonable allowance for the quality of defenses) able to score against all teams.
posted on 23/12/12
"Also not sure how Piazon is a step closer to PL action."
Today's game gave one possible answer to that question. Nice assist and good overall contribution by Piazon, and perhaps a glimpse of formations/lineups to come!