JURGEN KLOPP HAS dismissed the notion Daniel Sturridge is suffering from a lack of confidence and says the striker puts tears in his eyes with his exploits in training.
Sturridge has not scored in the Premier League since April and has only two goals — both coming against Burton Albion in the League Cup — this season.
The England international’s occasional omission from Klopp’s starting lineups has led to speculation he could be sold, but yesterday Klopp gave him his wholehearted backing.
Asked if Sturridge was short of confidence, the German replied: “No, I didn’t see it. After a shooting exercise there are still tears in your eyes when you see it and you are like, ‘F***ing hell! That is unbelievable!’”
He added: “I think, at this moment, for Dan, it is not easy. Most of his time in his life, football has been so easy because he is so skilled. The right moment, easy goal, simple goal.
“But every player struggles with this or this. Little problem here, little problem there. Daniel Sturridge is an outstanding player. There is no doubt about this. Even sometimes I think in moments: ‘Ball… Sturridge… Goal… Oh, no!’ There are moments when you think he should score and he doesn’t, but you have to carry on.
“And I think this is a very useful moment in his career. A big name: [Robert] Lewandowski. There were times when he didn’t score. Gerd Muller! There were games he didn’t score. I still can’t believe it. Then, it is only to handle situations like this. It is not to make a big thing about it.”
