The Technical Area – Suarez and Sturridge In Tandem

A 5-0 home hammering of Norwich last Saturday helped Liverpool to their biggest win of the season as Brendan Rodgers handed Daniel Sturridge his first league start as the lone forward. The former Chelsea man vindicated his manager’s decision by registering his third goal in as many games and while his inclusion saw Luis Suarez drop deeper, the Uruguayan also found the net and collected the maximum Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points against the Canaries:

Second only to Robin Van Persie in the FPL standings this season, Suarez’s new role may have many anticipating a downturn in Fantasy potential – as a result, we cast an eye over the statistics to ascertain whether a more withdrawn berth could prove detrimental to his long-term prospects.

Looking at his average positions over the season so far, Suarez definitely played deeper when in possession (above left) against Chris Hughton’s outfit, with the vast majority of the previous Gameweeks seeing him further forward. Everything, however, is relative here – Suarez (7, slightly obscured by Fabio Borini’s 29) remained the most advanced starting forward when on the ball at Anfield (above right), with Sturridge (23) averaging a deeper position when in possession; a positive sign for the Uruguayan’s 30% FPL owners that the latter’s arrival won’t harm his ability to produce in the opponents’ final third.

Question is, then, how did this affect Suares’z overall Opta statistics?

Suarez GW1-22 Versus Suarez GW23

Suarez had marginally more touches in the opposition half on Saturday compared to his previous average over the course of the campaign, registering 62 to 58, while his touches in the final third took a very slight dip – down from 45.1 to 43. His overall involvement was boosted as the Reds looked to get him on the ball as much as possible, increasing from a previous 1.4 minutes per touch to 1.2 against the Canaries; again, this is backed up by 28 passes received in the final third compared to 24.3 beforehand. Suarez also made more successful passes in the final third, up from 16.1 to 19 in the 5-0 rout.

In terms of dribbles, Suarez’s stats were pretty much identical – his total of 10 attempted at the weekend was in line with 9.6 per appearance from Gameweek 1-22. His touches in the box did decrease, though; prior to Saturday, he averaged 12 but this slipped to 10, while his number of goal attempts plummeted – a previous total of six shots per appearance dropped to three, and this also applies to his efforts from close range, which moved from four shots in the box down to two. On the upside, his creativity rocketed – Suarez created five goalscoring opportunities from his role in “the hole”, a significant improvement on his previous 2.8 over 22 matches for the Merseysiders.

In short then, Suarez’s goal attempts basically halved against Norwich, slipping from 15.7 minutes per effort to 31 minutes on Saturday, while his assist potential more or less doubled, up from 34.1 minutes per chance created to 18.6. While a single game is not enough to cause too much alarm, there’s a definite indication his new role has the potential to alter Suarez’s output.

Suarez Versus Sturridge

Looking at Sturridge’s stats from his 69 minute appearance in Saturday’s game, it’s clear his interpretation of the lone forward role differs from that of Suarez. Liverpool are looking to involve Sturridge far less in the overall build-up play – he had almost half the number of touches than Suarez in the final third at the weekend (23 to 43), a tally which is also virtually half Suarez’s previous 45.1 as the most advanced forward. An average of just 1.8 minutes per touch indicates Sturridge is content to allow Suarez possession and make himself available via runs off the opposition back-four, with his movement affording his strike partner more space to play in.

Intriguingly, Sturridge had just three touches in the opposition box – while this was significantly less than Suarez on Saturday (and a quarter of the Uruguayan’s previous average), the former Chelsea man’s eye for goal is all too apparent; all three of those touches resulted in a shot at goal. Sturridge had more shots than Suarez both overall (four to three) and in the box (three to two) suggesting that, while he may feature significantly less in the build-up, his threat could mirror his team mate’s.

It’s telling, however, that Sturridge didn’t create a single scoring chance on Saturday – an indication that, as their partnership clicks, Suarez is still likely to offer greater all-round potential compared to Sturridge’s pure goal threat. Nevertheless, with a FPL price tag of 7.4 to the Uruguayan’s 10.5, the new boy is certainly staking a claim for our Fantasy attentions – three goals in 169 minutes in all competitions has turned heads, too. Granted, the next two matches (ars, mcy) are far from enticing but by the time Gameweek 26 comes around, Sturridge is likely to have built up full match-fitness and will be capable of lasting the full 90 minutes – a superb run of fixtures from that point on is likely to present both forwards to maintain their flourishing form, if Saturday’s display is anything to go by.

*The Technical Area is put together using the statistics and maps available in our members area. For access to such data and tools on every player, team and match of the 2012/13 season, and for exclusive members articles like this, click here for details.