Daniel Sturridge will not be making his latest injury comeback at Upton Park this afternoon despite prior hints from Jurgen Klopp that he might play against West Ham.
The Liverpool striker declared himself fit after a hamstring strain a few days ago but has stayed on Merseyside along with Jordan Henderson who has a foot injury.
Liverpool begin a tough January programme with today’s visit to London but Klopp says he is merely exercising caution with Sturridge, not keeping him in reserve for the Capital One Cup semi-final or the forthcoming games against Arsenal and Manchester United.
Mindful of Sturridge’s injury record, Klopp wants to make doubly sure of his readiness before reintroducing him.
“I am not holding Daniel back, I am trying to get him fit,” Klopp explained.
“He has trained intensively and seems okay but now we must see how he reacts. I want to have him in the best shape, that is all. The best thing would be another two weeks but earlier might be possible. The main thing is not to bring him back too soon and have him pick up another injury. We just have to be patient.”
Sturridge has missed most of the season through three separate injuries and after starting and scoring twice against Southampton in the Capital One Cup, he has played only once since – the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle in early December.
Liverpool also lost Divock Origi to a hamstring injury against Leicester on St Stephen's Day.
More points
Klopp’s targets for the second half of the season are to win more points than in the first half and go as far as possible in all the cups.
“January could be a crucial month but it is difficult to talk about even the middle of January because we need to be focused on the start,” the German said.
“We have West Ham, then Stoke, then Exeter, then Arsenal. In just the first week of the month we are in three different competitions. It’s match by match, with hardly any time to recover and prepare.”
Liverpool are still in the Europa League too, which recommences in February.
“It is intensive but that is because we have been successful,” Klopp said.
“We will play at least four games more than the others, because of the Capital One and the Europa League, and we are starting to see the effect in the dressing room. After our last win the players were not celebrating; they were sitting still, thinking about the next game. I can see why people say January will be decisive.”
Klopp wants to see more of the attitude shown by his players during the past two games.
Their 1-0 victories over Leicester and Sunderland, both secured by goals from striker Christian Benteke, were not pretty but stopped the rot after three Premier League games without a win.
Klopp has had standout results in his short tenure in charge such as the 4-1 victory at Manchester City and 3-1 success against Chelsea, but there have also been demoralising losses to Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Watford.
The subsequent search for consistency has been Klopp's biggest challenge since he replaced previous manager Brendan Rodgers in October.
He hopes Liverpool have now turned a corner and feels confidence rather than concentration has been the main problem.
He said: “It’s not the biggest problem with concentration. I don’t want to say this word too often but it’s a part of belief that you don’t have to use the first chance.
“It’s normal that you miss chances in football. If you miss a chance, now you know the right way, come on, let’s try again. It’s difficult and it’s what we have to develop together. “
“For this you need results. Sunderland was a game like this. It’s not a game we will talk about in 10 years but nevertheless it’s really important.”
Guardian Service
