When Tottenham Hotspur last visited Anfield in October, they were beaten by a virtuoso display of finishing.
“Brilliant,” Jurgen Klopp said. “He could have scored three or four.”
Daniel Sturridge ended up with two goals, also struck the bar, as the London club suffered their first domestic defeat of the season and secured Liverpool’s progress in the League Cup. He terrorised Tottenham’s second-string defence.
Yet as they return to Merseyside on Saturday, he will be confined to the bench.
It is a semi-permanent home for one of the deadliest strikers in England. Little more than a year ago, Sturridge had the fifth best goal-per-game ratio in Premier League history. Last April, he was the fourth quickest post-war player to 50 Liverpool goals.
But now he has not scored a club goal against high-class opponents since his outside-of-the-boot finish against Sevilla in May’s Europa League final.
He had the chance to show he could still deliver important goals in the League Cup semi-final against Southampton, but two opportunities were spurned.
He has not scored in his last seven games. His omission from the team on Saturday should be uncontroversial.
Roberto Firmino may be an out-of-form false nine, but he is secure as Liverpool’s first-choice striker.
Sturridge’s opposite is found in the Tottenham attack, a potent Englishman who delivers consistency.
Harry Kane is on course to reach 20 goals for the third consecutive campaign.
Sturridge, almost four years his senior, has only done so once. Injuries and a frequent status as a squad player are reasons, because a career of 107 league starts has produced 71 goals.
It is an impressive ratio yet the fact that a player in his 28th year has only begun 107 league matches is telling in itself.
He has few miles on the clock but has slowed down. Statistics from Sky Sports suggested his average top speed per game had dropped year on year, from 32.4km in his prime in 2013/14 to 28.5km this season.
He no longer runs in behind defences with such speed. He does not stretch them. He is the specialist finisher who has not finished often enough.
“When he doesn’t score, it’s like playing with 10 men,” Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender and now pundit on Sky Sports, concluded bluntly after the Southampton defeat.
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Read more
■ Greg Lea: Hull have hope under Marco Silva
■ Thomas Woods: What are the weekend talking points
__________________________________
And Sturridge, remarkably, did not score any of Liverpool’s first 44 league goals this season. In his defence, he has only started one of their last 16 league games, at Sunderland, and he scored then.
Yet the way their system has worked best with Firmino leading the line is emphasised by the fact that one of his few chances, at Burnley in August, came on the right wing.
Only once, when he dragged defenders out of position in a display of Firmino-esque selfless decoy running against Leicester City in September, has he really looked energetic enough for Klopp’s frantic pressing game.
Perhaps an individualist appears too little of a team player. Even in his best year, when he scored 21 goals and Luis Suarez in 2013/14, there was the sense of healthy competition, rather than altruistic dovetailing.
And it is tempting to go back to the start of his Liverpool career when Brendan Rodgers issued what felt a premature warning.
This, he said, was probably the former Manchester City and Chelsea forward’s last chance at a big club.
That was four years ago and Sturridge was only 23. Examine his goal-per-game record, see his record of finding the net in major matches and it feels strange to think Rodgers may be right.
Yet Klopp’s preference for other types of forward is apparent and if, in theory, Sturridge seemed an ideal Plan B, he has been an increasingly ineffective substitute.
His injuries may deter elite clubs from moving for him while his wages could prevent mid-table clubs from affording him.
A man who excelled at football’s most important task, putting the ball in the net, faces life in limbo.
Sturridge and Liverpool are an increasingly uneasy combination, but they could be stuck with each other.
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Company%20profile
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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THE RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Alnawar, Connor Beasley (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Raniah, Noel Garbutt, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Saarookh, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Rated Conditions Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: RB Torch, Tadhg O’Shea, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: MH Wari, Antonio Fresu, Elise Jeane
7.30pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m
Winner: Mailshot, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5