Daniel Sturridge Will Be Key to Liverpool Success in Chasing Champions League

Having missed the entirety of preseason so far after taking the summer to recover from an ankle injury sustained on international duty in May, Daniel Sturridge finally made his way back to the Liverpool bench in their final friendly against Celtic on Saturday.

Sturridge watched on for 45 minutes as Liverpool passed the ball about neatly and were thwarted a handful of times by Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska. By and large there was too little direct threat, pace and emphasis on trying to get the ball into the net from the Reds.

The No. 15 made his entrance as substitute at half time, and he took just two minutes to receive the ball inside the penalty area, twist his body into half a shooting position and get away an effort on goal.

He didn't score, nor did he beat Celtic's sub keeper Fraser Forster with his other couple of shots during the second half, but Sturridge showed several key attributes on multiple occasions, which the Reds have missed this summer. Such attributes will be vital if Liverpool are to succeed in chasing a top four place this season.

With Iago Aspas in the centre forward position, the Reds have someone who can link plays well, play one-touch passes and create space with good control—much like Luis Suarez.

Sturridge, though offers real pace, is always forward-looking and -thinking, and receives the ball with one aim in mind: shoot to score.

Two instances in particular during the second 45 showed Sturridge's importance to the team.

Moments after seeing an earlier effort blocked, Sturridge picked up the ball just outside the penalty area by the right corner of the box. In one touch he had the ball under control and sent it fizzing past the goalkeeper by just an inch or two wide of the post.

It was almost the first time in the game that somebody had taken it upon themselves to simply attempt to score for Liverpool, rather than waiting for a golden chance to be presented just a few yards from goal.

Another clear chance, and one which Sturridge surely would have taken full advantage of had he had more than just a few minutes game time in the past three months under his belt, showcased the burgeoning relationship that he and Philippe Coutinho have.

After the two players arrived at Liverpool in January, it was a common feature of the team's play to see the Brazilian seek out the English forward with an incisive pass, over grass or through air.

The reason being, Sturridge is one of the few direct-minded players in the squad who will look at the space behind a defence and attack it, sprinting past the entire line in anticipation of a quality pass which will pick out his run.

In Coutinho, Liverpool have the man to see and to find such a run, but he needs players to actually go and make those vertical movements to give him the chance to unlock defences.

Sturridge got on the end of Coutinho's ball on this occasion, but after lofting it first-time over Forster, he had to watch his shot bounce narrowly wide.

Come Stoke City and the first game of the season in a week's time, Sturridge will not be anywhere close to match fit.

His lack of full training time and, above all else, match time, means he's several weeks behind most of his team mates. Brendan Rodgers will have to decide whether the trade-off between's Sturridge's usual quality in the final third and that which he brings to the team that no other forward does, is worth the risk of his lack of sharpness and practice.

Liverpool do have goals in the team, despite their troubles against Celtic.

Iago Aspas, Steven Gerrard, Coutinho as well as Raheem Sterling, have all hit the back of the net more than once over the summer.

It is Sturridge, though, who possesses the natural penalty area instincts and abilities which can make the greatest difference in turning a 0-0 into a 1-0. A common theme for Liverpool over the seasons prior to 2012-13 was to see the Reds dominate games, but miss chance after chance.

Last year looked to put an end to that, and yet the boss still indicated he wanted more goals to be brought in.

He might not have done that to the extent he wanted just yet, but in Sturridge, Liverpool already have someone who can hit 20 goals over the course of the season and, fitness permitting, be a regular and reliable match-winner. Sturridge can score those goals which make a difference, not just adding numbers three and four to a heavy win.

Liverpool need to get him fit, keep him fit, and keep providing him with chances. The goals will follow and so will the points.

Follow @karlmatchett