Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi Partnership Shows More Promise for Liverpool

ANFIELD, Liverpool — Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool maintained their focus to overcome Stoke City in their Premier League match sandwiched between the two legs of their Europa League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund.

Klopp made seven changes to the Reds lineup, and admitted afterward he was surprised at how comfortable the match was after cruising to a 4-1 victory.

After Alberto Moreno's long strike had been cancelled out by Bojan's unmarked header, Liverpool went into the break 2-1 ahead after Daniel Sturridge headed home Sheyi Ojo's cross from close range.

There was little between the two sides at the break, but a half-time change by Klopp saw Liverpool completely boss the second half. In came Divock Origi, replacing Ojo, and Stoke were simply unable to handle he and Sturridge together.

It was an ideal afternoon for the Liverpool manager, able to rest key players, give some playing time to those who needed it—Roberto Firmino making his first start since returning from a hamstring injury—and give first league starts to Ojo and Kevin Stewart.

"For a team that has never played together, it was brilliant," Klopp praised post-match. "I thought we would have more problems. I thought it was a formation that could win, but not like this."

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Klopp tweaked the formation from the start, deploying Stewart as the deepest midfielder, with Joe Allen and James Milner just ahead of him in a midfield triangle—a slight change from the usual two-man midfield Klopp deploys.

After the half-time change it was more of a midfield diamond, with Stewart again at the base and Firmino at the top of the diamond.

Stewart, who was returning from injury and making his first league start for the club, looked at home in the middle of the park, breaking up play and positionally strong.

There were more positives elsewhere for Klopp, too; the boss singled out Moreno for praise post-match, saying it was the Spaniard's best game since he'd arrived at the club, while Nathaniel Clyne was excellent on the other side of defence too.

Milner also had a good game, continuing his improved form after a strong showing in Dortmund. Liverpool, as a squad and as individuals, are in a positive place right now.

Attacking Competition

Before the game, Klopp had been quizzed in his pre-match press conference about the decision to start Origi in Dortmund on Thursday and how that may affect Sturridge.

"It’s only about what’s the best for tomorrow, what’s the best for this game, it’s not about the name," insisted the manager, per This Is Anfield. "If all strikers are fit, then you have to make decisions and that’s about the plan you have for the match and not the name of the player."

"That’s the best situation you can have," Klopp concluded.

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In the second half, Klopp found a way to accommodate all three of his main forwards, with Sturridge and Origi together up front and Firmino in behind as the No. 10. Stoke simply couldn't cope, and their centre-backs were overwhelmed.

Firmino was later withdrawn for Adam Lallana, who is an almost ever-present under Klopp, while Philippe Coutinho wasn't needed from the bench.

Klopp certainly has a selection conundrum on his hands for Thursday's second leg at Anfield; with Allen and Emre Can almost certain to be the two midfielders, plus Milner, only three of Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino, Sturridge and Origi can start. Two will be on the bench, offering strong options to change the game.

Sturridge and Origi

Klopp's decision to withdraw Ojo—who had left Phil Bardsley bamboozled with some electric play down the left to assist Sturridge's goal before the break—seemed surprising, but was perhaps pre-planned, with the manager wanting to give the Origi-Sturridge pairing another look before Thursday's huge return leg against Dortmund.

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Whether it was or not, it worked perfectly. With Ryan Shawcross only just returning from injury, he and Philipp Wollscheid couldn't cope with Origi and Sturridge—whose styles of play seem to complement each other effectively.

Origi, full of confidence after his start and goal in Dortmund, headed in Milner's left-footed cross from the right five minutes after his introduction, and from there you could see his confidence grow.

The Belgian added power and pace, with direct play causing Bardsley in particular further problems down Liverpool's left.

Such was Origi's dominance down that side, Moreno, who is usually such an attacking outlet for the Reds, was barely needed to get forward in the second half, instead able to rest up ahead of this week's biggest game of the season.

Origi, who Klopp explained post-match now wears a shirt size bigger after recent muscle work in the gym during his injury layoff, supplied the fourth goal with a powerful run down the left which saw him cut inside and provide a cross for Sturridge which sneaked in at the far post.

Such was Origi's dominance, it was a surprise he didn't claim his first hat-trick for the club in the final stages.

Sturridge was also looking strong, completing his first 90 minutes since the end of February. The England forward often looks more at home with another striker alongside him, another to distract the opposition defence. It means he can drop a little deeper as he likes to do, but the defence are still occupied by the other forward.

The Origi-Sturridge partnership was first paired together in the 6-1 League Cup win at Southampton last December, and in 290 minutes on the pitch together, they've each scored three goals, with Liverpool scoring eight goals in that time. It's an impressive statistic, and one which Klopp will be aware of ahead of Thursday.

It appears unlikely Klopp will opt to pair the two together from the start on Thursday when his former club arrives on Merseyside, but it's certainly something he knows can prove effective to introduce the other from the bench if searching for a crucial goal.

Liverpool moved ahead of the Potters in the table with Sunday's win, but while all focus is on Europe, this was the ideal preparation ahead of a huge week for the club.

* Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.