Daniel Sturridge at Pivotal Juncture for Liverpool as Injury Strikes in December
After Divock Origi came off the substitutes' bench to net the opening goal in Liverpool's 2-0 victory at home to Sunderland at the end of November, Jurgen Klopp extolled the virtues of timing, with the Belgian finding himself in the right place at the right time.
"Timing is very important and now he's ready again," he told reporters at Anfield, with Origi replacing the injured Philippe Coutinho and making the defining contribution against a robust Black Cats defence.
Origi subsequently starred in the Reds' 2-0 win over Leeds United in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, touching home an excellent cross from 18-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold to break the deadlock.
It was Origi's third goal in four starts for Liverpool in the EFL Cup so far this season, with the 21-year-old grasping his opportunities whenever handed to him, and he looks set to make his first starting appearance in the Premier League away to Bournemouth on December 4.
Previewing the Reds' trip to Dean Court, Klopp once again stressed that "timing is really important," saying "Div is back in shape, so that was lucky, I would say. He was ready for this specific moment."
Shortly before this assessment of Origi's impact, however, Klopp addressed the ongoing fitness issues of Daniel Sturridge, with the 27-year-old ruled out against the Cherries with a calf problem.
Sunday's clash with Bournemouth comes at the beginning of a crucial festive period for Klopp's Liverpool, who will also take on West Ham United, Middlesbrough, Everton, Stoke City and Manchester City before the end of 2016, and it presents a major opportunity for Klopp's squad players.
According to Danny Gallagher of the MailOnline, Coutinho will miss up to six weeks of action with an ankle injury, with the Times' Paul Joyce reporting that the Brazilian was hoping to return against City on New Year's Eve:
In the absence of Coutinho, Klopp will require his peripheral figures, like Origi, to take responsibility in attack, but that the playmaker's injury coincides with another setback for Sturridge is a disappointing blow for the England international.
Sturridge cannot afford to fall foul of bad timing at this stage, and he must look to make an immediate impact when he returns to fitness in December.
Losing a player of Coutinho's quality would hamper any top-level side, with the 24-year-old scoring six goals and laying on six assists in 14 appearances for the Reds in all competitions prior to Didier Ndong's strong challenge at Anfield on November 26.
Following Klopp's appointment as Liverpool manager in October of last year, Coutinho's influence has grown considerably, both in terms of creativity and his contributions to the Reds' pressing game.
Only two players—West Ham's Dimitri Payet (46) and City's Kevin De Bruyne (35)—have created more chances in the league than Coutinho (33) so far this season, while neither have averaged more successful tackles per 90 minutes than the former Inter Milan midfielder (1.5).
After a summer of positive work in the transfer market, however, Klopp is now able to navigate Coutinho's injury by utilising the strength in depth within his squad, with Roberto Firmino his natural replacement on the left flank.
Firmino has created the same number of chances as Coutinho this season and has averaged almost the same number of successful tackles per 90 (1.3), and while the majority of his appearances have come as a No. 9, he has scored three goals in three games from the left so far this season.
With Firmino also absent with a minor calf strain against Leeds, Klopp turned to Georginio Wijnaldum as Coutinho's deputy, and while the Dutchman toiled admirably on the wing, he was considerably more influential when shifted back into his regular box-to-box role in midfield.
If Klopp turns to Firmino as Coutinho's replacement on the left, this opens up a slot at centre-forward, with Origi and Sturridge vying for the role of Klopp's stand-in No. 9.
However, while Sturridge has a more proven pedigree, having scored 58 goals in just 103 games since his £12 million move from Chelsea at the beginning of 2013, Origi has the head start moving into December.
Not turning 22 until April, Origi has all the qualities required to excel as a centre-forward under Klopp, with his lithe, nimble frame backed up by a deceptively bullish physicality, and standing at 6'1", he has the height required to battle the Premier League's fiercest defenders.
Crucially, when called upon by Klopp, Origi has found the back of the net on big occasions, scoring 14 times in 43 games, including strikes against Borussia Dortmund in both legs of last season's UEFA Europa League quarter-final and, most recently, the decisive goals against Sunderland and Leeds.
"He's still 21, not the most match time in the last few months, so no rhythm," Klopp said of Origi prior to Liverpool's trip to the south coast. "[But] always working, never moaning."
In Origi, Klopp has clearly identified a player with immense potential and the work ethic required to reach this level—something important to a manager who places a heavy emphasis on youth development.
As Liverpool pushed towards last season's Europa League final, Origi moved ahead of Sturridge in Klopp's pecking order up front, and this looks set to be the case during the festive period—which could prove to be a major quandary for the Reds' No. 15.
Continuing to preview Liverpool's clash with Bournemouth, Klopp was forced to quash speculation over Sturridge's future once again, with the Telegraph's Chris Bascombe among those to report West Ham's interest in securing a deal to sign the former Chelsea striker in January.
"The funny thing is your colleagues created stories that aren't stories, then you ask me when there is no story!" he explained to reporters at Melwood, dumbfounded.
"There is no thought to sell any player in the first-team squad actually, I don't think it would make sense. Unfortunately Daniel is not in training until now, that's the thing I'm more concerned about than any transfer rumours."
However, while Klopp remained emphatic as to Sturridge's role on Merseyside this season, there remains a lingering doubt over his long-term future, given his peripheral status in the Liverpool squad.
So far in 2016/17, Sturridge has started in just five of his 11 appearances, with four of these coming in the Premier League, while he is still yet to score in the English top flight this season, with his four goals all coming in the EFL Cup.
Of his five starts, only two of these have come in consecutive games, and in the latter, Liverpool's 2-1 victory away to Chelsea on September 16, he was substituted before the hour mark, with Origi taking his place.
Remarkably, throughout his time with the Reds, Sturridge is yet to start a Premier League game in the month of December, with his persistent injury troubles hampering his impact during a notoriously busy schedule.
As his role under Klopp diminishes, this serves as an omen for a player who remains one of the best centre-forwards in English football, with Sturridge set to suffer from bad timing yet again.
This is something of a last-chance situation for Sturridge, as while he will play an important role for Liverpool as they continue their title push in 2016/17, the improving fortunes of Firmino and Origi underline the importance of establishing himself as a key figure under Klopp on Merseyside.
On his return from injury, Sturridge must look to impose himself on a Liverpool side without their talisman—Coutinho—or he runs the risk of proving himself expendable while Origi flourishes.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and WhoScored.com. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.
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