As soon as Liverpool fans learned that Luis Suarez would either be leaving the club or not available for the first matches in the EPL, they probably wondered where the goals would even come from. The idea probably passed around that Liverpool would just need to hold on until the Uruguayan returned and then hope that the club was not in too deep of a hole to dig themselves out. However, this season has proved that Liverpool may have the one club aspect that has eluded them for the past decade: depth.
Daniel Sturridge erased all of those fears and has made sure that Chelsea will be kicking themselves every single time that they see Sturridge scoring for Liverpool and their strikers NOT scoring for Chelsea. Currently sitting on top of the EPL scoring charts and scoring like a top-tier striker so far this season has many believing that Sturridge may end up becoming a Liverpool legend before his time is over with the reds. Considering that the English striker is only 24, he may still have a level of play that he has not achieved yet…scary stuff.
Then, the return of Luis Suarez. During his first game (a Capital One Cup game against Man U), Suarez seemed a touch off the pace and lacking in match awareness. The trickery and quality was still present, but you could see that the Uruguayan striker was just a touch off. Then, against Sunderland, Suarez sparkled. His touches were crisp, his passing was precise, his trickery was on full display, and he seems to be just as sharp as he was last season. Factor in that Suarez and Sturridge kept looking more and more dangerous as a partnership, and this will be a huge bonus for Liverpool.
For a club that has had serious difficulty finding the back of the net in the last two seasons, they now have two players on the EPL scoring charts. Suarez may have only played one EPL game, but he is already tied for 11th in the EPL this season. Give Sturridge and Suarez a few more games, and these two might shove each other into the golden boot ceremony. Defenses across England will definitely be hoping that one of these two players picks up a knock or that something forces Brendan Rodgers to field only one of the potent pair.
Talk about Liverpool doing anything more than sneaking into the top four are definitely premature. They have the defensive depth, striking core, and manager to succeed. But, their midfield is still one injury away to either Lucas or Gerrard from starting to look weak. If they are able to get a full season from Gerrard and Lucas, the top-four is definitely possible. Also, if Liverpool strengthen the midfield in January or next summer, they might actually start eyeing the top spot. Considering how long Liverpool fans have had to suffer, good news may lie just over the next hill.
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