Sturridge “has the belief” in Liverpool this season

Daniel Sturridge has opened up to LiverpoolFC.com about his time at the club, shortly after reaching 50 Premier League goals in a red shirt.

Liverpool’s Number 15 scored a peach of a goal at the weekend to snatch a point late on against Chelsea, following on from an acrobatic effort the Blues in midweek. Sturridge has now scored 67 goals in 140 appearances for Liverpool.

However, the striker is remaining grounded in the midst of the current media attention he’s receiving.

“Whatever decisions the manager makes, he’s the boss,” said Sturridge. “Whatever team he picks, you just give your best whether you come on for five minutes or start the game. It’s just about giving everything on the pitch whenever you get the minutes.”

Sturridge’s 25-yard wondergoal at Stamford Bridge has been the subject of praise from his manager, pundits and fans around the world, but the England international is focused only on what’s ahead.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been here – through the highs and lows of playing, not playing, being successful and being unsuccessful,” he explained.

“The whole process of being at Liverpool, the journey, has been great. It’s just about now winning something; I don’t want to have been here for a long time and not have lifted one trophy.

“I can never look at the past and say, ‘I wish we’d won the league that year’. Obviously, it hurts. But it’s a new season now and we have a chance to do it again.

“We have a chance to win the Champions League again; we have a chance to win the FA Cup again. This season is just full of excitement because we know we have an opportunity – just as much as everyone else has an opportunity.

“I don’t want to put expectations out there that we might do this or that; I just want nature to take its course. I’m really positive about it, I have the belief. Everyone in the club has the belief, the fans have the belief, that we can do something this year.”

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool scores during the Premier League match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield on August 12, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

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LiverpoolFC.com pointed out to Sturridge that of the current first team squad, only Jordan Henderson has been at the club longer than him.

“Crazy,” he laughs. “I didn’t think I’d be here for such a long period of time, you never know what can happen in football. But this is home for me, it always has been.”

On his loan spell at West Brom last season, Sturridge said: “I feel it was something I had to do. I got to be around my family more than I ever have in my whole career. I went back home for the first time in probably more than 10 years and was in the city.

“It was a breath of fresh air. And I learned a lot as well from a football perspective. I enjoyed it so I don’t have any regrets about it.

“It’s a new season – it’s a new Champions League and a new Premier League.

“If you dwell in the past, you live in the past; you live with regret and live with things that mean nothing. I’d have been happy for the boys if we’d won [the Champions League] and I was gutted that the boys lost the game.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Sunday, May 21, 2017: Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge in action against Middlesbrough during the FA Premier League match at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“But I would never look back and wish I was on the bench or involved. No, you make decisions and I enjoyed myself when I was in Birmingham. I don’t live with regrets about football.

“It’s just about having that positive vibe and focusing on what I need to do. I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. I’m hungry and I’m ready for any opportunities I get and ready to go.

“I’m training with a smile on my face and playing with a smile on my face, I’m not worrying about anything and not thinking about anything. I’ve got an open mind.

“When I go out on the pitch it’s just about enjoyment. When I’m on the training pitch, enjoy myself. I’ve been like that for my whole career anyway. I’ve always enjoyed myself and had fun. At this stage now, that is my only concern: enjoying myself. That’s what football is all about if you strip it all back. Nothing else matters besides enjoyment. This is what I live for and what I love.

“I’ve always wanted to be a professional footballer so why do I need to think about anything else other than enjoying football? All the background noise is irrelevant – it’s all about enjoying yourself on the football pitch.”

Read the full interview at the official Liverpool website.

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Source: anfieldhq.com