The Burning Question – Will Daniel Sturridge Flourish or Flounder Without Luis Suarez?

This evening, we roll out the fourth instalment in our series of Burning Questions articles, focussing on some of the main dilemmas facing Fantasy managers for the season ahead. Having quizzed our contributors on Alexis Sanchez, Defensive Heavy Hitters and Robin van Persie, we now turn our attentions to Liverpool’s frontline as Brendan Rodgers’ side prepare for life without Luis Suarez:

Having served up 197 points in 2013/14, Daniel Sturridge has been slapped with an 11.5 price tag in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – the third costliest player available for our 15-man squads. With Suarez now gone to Barcelona, though, Rodgers will be leaning more heavily than ever on Sturridge to deliver but bearing in mind the Reds striker managed only 26 league starts due to injury last season, there are fears the increased schedule, brought on by Champions League duties, may have an impact on his ability to steer clear of injury.

With only a few days remaining until the season gets underway, we ask the Burning Question – Will Daniel Sturridge flourish or flounder without Luis Suarez?

Tom Fenley says…
Liverpool have lost their most creative player after Suarez’s move to Barcelona – given that he scored 31 of his side’s 101 goals and assisted 12 times, that’s a lot to find from the rest of the team. However, Sturridge will now be the focal point of a Rodgers side that will maintain the high pressure, fast breaks and attacking football that suited the England forward so much last season. He scored 22 goals and assisted eight times but played less minutes than Suarez and I think he will still be a consistent points scorer, snapping up a goal almost every game.

I expect him to make up some of the difference from Suarez leaving and see him scoring 25-30% of Liverpool’s goals, gaining lots of bonus points. The issue could be that he will probably only score that one goal each game – he does not often get braces, so while giving him the captaincy should be a safe bet but with a low ceiling. It also seems highly unlikely he will be fit for the entire season. I’m expecting Sturridge to grab at least 20 goals and be in and out of my team due to injury; certainly at 11.5 he is easy to downgrade, though Sturridge is a little expensive and at the level where his value is in the balance, suggesting he will need to be delivering consistently to stay in the frame.

Paul says…
I don’t doubt his goal-getting abilities but for me, the negatives outweigh the positives this season. Sturridge turns 25 on September 1 yet this is his first season as a first-choice forward in a team competing on the European front and his injury record doesn’t bode well. Earlier this summer, he flew home early from the club’s US tour with a hamstring injury and with the fixtures coming thick and fast, Rodgers may try to pre-empt any knocks and niggles by managing his game time more often.

Suarez’ loss cannot be downplayed. Liverpool scored four times in five matches without the Uruguayan last season compared to 97 strikes with him in the first XI – that’s 0.8 goals and 2.9 goals per game respectively. Yes, Sturridge notched all four of those goals in Suarez’ absence but over the course of an entire season, that’s a tough ask of anyone to replicate, never mind someone with Sturridge’s dodgy injury record.

Price is an issue, also. Last term’s exploits have catapulted Sturridge into the premium price bracket this time around and while I wouldn’t have any problem with him at 11.5 alongside Suarez, is he an 11.5-priced player without his former sidekick? I’m not so sure. Impressively, Sturridge’s average of 6.8 ppg last season was the equal of the 12.0-priced Sergio Aguero but if I had to choose one of this injury-prone pair to justify their lofty valuation, my money would be on the man from the Etihad.

D1sable says…
Even with Europe and an onus to stay fit all season (something he has never managed before) its hard to foresee Sturridge failing. The guy is just too selfish and too good at finishing – a perfect blend for us Fantasy Managers. You could argue that although Luis Suarez’ departure harms him in terms of creativity, but it also benefits the England striker as it means he will more regularly take a large share of the bonus points on offer. At 11.5 he has had a significant hike in price and I don’t see him as truly essential; however, handing Sturridge the armband when he plays at Anfield will surely feel warm and fuzzy more often than not.

Applebonkers says…
This one is fairly tricky to assess as whilst games without Luis Suarez in the past two seasons suggested flourish with a capital F, there were only nine of them. It was a small if impressive sample. With Suarez it’s 22 goals and 13 assists in 34 matches, without it’s nine goals and one assist in nine matches. He’ll lose Suarez’s creativity yet at the same time he’ll be a more central figure, with less attacks gobbled up by an often-overwhelming player.

Step to the side for a second though and look back at those two records combined (43 apps, 31 goals, 14 assists). This is Class A Fantasy beefcake; it will take an awful lot for him to suddenly flounder. My only real concern is the addition of European football on a historically fragile body. Likewise, Liverpool bombed out of both domestic cups very early last season. It was an FPL dream; he was at home making Subway commercials whilst Aguero and the rest were flying around Europe. Long story short, Sturridge is still my bet to push the Manchester strikers for the Golden Boot.

7shadesofsmoke says…
The trickiest of questions in my opinion. Daniel Sturridge will really have it up against him as the main man to carry the weight of new expectation in Liverpool’s attack. If we stretch our minds back to the pre-Suarez Liverpool at the start of last season, the Reds were making a habit of sneaking a “Danny Sturridge 1, Opposition 0” scoreline with the emerging Fantasy talent quietly tucking away modest points ahead of Suarez’s unleashing. It wasn’t until his strike partner had returned to wreak havoc on the league’s defences that Sturridge and Liverpool really started scoring Fantasy interest for attacking returns. With European competition to contend with (added injury risk?), the loss of a truly world class strike partner and a bar of expectation set very high for attacking returns, Sturridge will really have his work cut out if he is to top last season’s heroics.

Gavigon says…
As long as Liverpool retain their attacking effectiveness Sturridge will make hay. He didn’t have any trouble when Suarez was suspended, and if anything becomes more of the main man. If he stays fit and, as long as teams haven’t got Liverpool’s attack ‘figured out’, as Chelsea and Newcastle showed right at the end of last year by defending with a wall of eight, he should be in for a huge campaign.

Roscola says…
I think we have to look around the Liverpool team for inspiration on this one. For starters, this almost feels like a make or break season for Philippe Coutinho. Brendan Rodgers will be reliant on the young Brazilian to step up and fill in for their lost playmaker but I don’t know whether he’s got it in him, personally. I also think that Rodgers will be keen to deal with last season’s biggest problem- defence. There were individual failings aplenty but a lot of it was it was down to a somewhat gung-ho approach. That system came so close to winning the title because it played to their strength – Luis Suarez. Without him, I think Rodgers might want to rein in their attacking verve just a little and protect the defence that little bit more. If that did happen, it would be a double-blow for Sturridge’s potential.

Jonty says…
With Luis Suarez now at Barcelona, Sturridge will be the focal point of Liverpool’s attack and the player his team-mates will be most keen to pass to in the box. His talent as a goalscorer is not in question and, in theory, he should benefit in a team where he should hog the opportunities and goals. But with Suarez gone, Liverpool’s attacking powers will be more limited. In addition, Liverpool will have European football and in Rickie Lambert the side has a ready-made replacement for Sturridge when rotation is needed. I think Liverpool as a whole, and therefore Sturridge, will do well this season but I can’t see them scoring the same amount of goals with Champions League fixtures and the loss of one of the World’s best forwards.

Ryan says…
I think Sturridge will flourish. Without Suarez drawing a lot of the play, I think the rest of Liverpool’s key players will step up and take greater responsibility. Sturridge in particular will have a prominent role as he spearheads the attack without his former strike partner. What’s important, however, is that Sturridge won’t be left to do it on his own; Brendan Rodgers has already stated how he wants to see Jordan Henderson get up more often to score goals and if he expects this from a central midfield player, he will certainly expect more from his attacking midfielders. This is a good thing for Sturridge because with others chipping in to help out, the frontman will have the freedom to play his own game and not have to shoulder most of the goal scoring responsibility. I think Sturridge would struggle if he had to carry the team, fortunately for him he will have strong support in attack.

Mark Says…
Sturridge is another one who looked a shoo-in for my initial lineup and then, as the barmy summer passed by, the doubts began to creep in. The 11.5 price tag is the key factor – that’s a big price to pay for any striker, let alone one with fragile limbs. Watching Sturridge play is a rollercoaster for Fantasy managers – he’ll make sure he has plenty of goal attempts but then, at every challenge, his owners are forced to wince and look away. Every time he’s subbed early, you wonder if he’ll make the next match. I can see him scoring 20 goals but then, I can also see the likes of Diego Costa, Romelu Lukaku and even Olivier Giroud running him close for total points given they’ll likely get more pitch time. Alongside that, I have to consider that Brendan Rodgers will look to get more from his midfield – that could see Raheem Sterling and Phillipe Coutinho offer strong value that could ultimately tempt me to overlook Sturridge.