Daniel Sturridge & the Importance of Arrogance

It is not a crime to be confident, in fact it is necessary

27 goals in 34 games. That is quite an impressive statistic. It is Daniel Sturridge’s record since joining Liverpool back in January 2013 for £12m. A year on from his move to Anfield there are those who still question his talent. For some he is a doubt for England in the World Cup. This blog finds it incredible that a player with such skill, creativity and finishing excellence can be regarded so negatively by his own nations fans and media. 

A bargain is what it was. £12m for a player of Sturridge’s quality was something of a steal for Brendan Rodgers. Many questioned Rodgers for the move, yet he has been vindicated. 

Sturridge splits opinion, which is a shame to be honest, how can people not see his talent and creativity, instead obsessing over his character and personality.

He has always showed potential, as a youth at Manchester City he showed much promise yet also showed a propensity for thinking too much of himself, such as wanting excessive wages (however his agent was to blame for this by all accounts). 

Man City would not pay it and Sturridge moved to a team who would be willing to pay his £60k wage demands. Chelsea have embarked on something of a scattergun approach in recent years with youth players, a case of stockpiling the talent to see what ‘sticks’. It may have worked for some yet it has ruined others careers. Youth players need stability and opportunity and Sturridge was risking his career by moving to Stamford Bridge. 

A loan move to Bolton in the 2010/11 season brought eight goals in just 12 games and highlighted his skill, creativity and confidence. He excelled as the ‘man’ in that Bolton side and proved he had the talent, yet was it a case of shining in a small side?

Andre Villas-Boas saw potential in Sturridge and used him regularly in his short time at Chelsea. Sturridge excelled in the trust given to him by the new manager yet Chelsea were suffering as a team and Villas-Boas was relieved of his job nine months in. Sturridge would not get the kind of opportunity again at Chelsea. Sturridge was not getting the opportunities with which he sought and required at Chelsea and a move was necessary. 

A key part of Rodgers project

Many saw the technique and skill of Sturridge yet there was always doubts about his decision making, selfishness and general arrogant character. Or that’s how he was perceived at least. The excessive wage demands and the self-belief in his performance and style made many perceive him as arrogant. He was the type of player which the media and fans thrive on disliking. 

And yet a year on from his move at Anfield and he still has this persona. Is it deserved?

Sturridge did not help himself when he scored his first goal for Liverpool. Some body popping type dance which merely irritated most of those watching. Perhaps it was merely a joke, a little bit of fun on his debut. But many perceived it differently, they saw conceit, arrogance. 

The celebration continues, most probably as a form of entertainment aimed at his critics. It's clear that Sturridge does not care about how he is perceived, he cares about playing and scoring goals. And there is no doubt that he has proved his doubters wrong with his performances. 

The signing of Sturridge and Coutinho helped push Rodgers project to a new level, both offering the guile, skill and movement on which Rodgers seeks. Sturridge and Suarez appeared to know each others game straight away and played some great combination football. And when Suarez was banned Sturridge stood up to take the responsibility. In those first games without Suarez Sturridge scored five goals and Liverpool won three out of four games. 

In the new season Liverpool started strongly without Suarez again, with Sturridge on great form. In the first three games Liverpool won 1-0 in each game with Sturridge scoring all three goals. When Suarez returned him and Sturridge linked up superbly against Sunderland with Sturridge scoring and setting up both of Suarez's goals. 

Since Suarez returned the two have shown that they have a genuine partnership which has simply destroyed many defences in the league. Both have the intelligence and skill to make the kind of football Rodgers want to see work. 

Sturridge has 13 goals this season, he has scored 27 goals in all competitions since joining Liverpool, yet people still seem to be questioning him. What does he need to do?

Fuel for motivation

Well it’s not about his talent as a player it seems. It’s his attitude and character which doesn’t fit with many. This is baffling. Firstly you have to say that the ‘attitude’ and arrogance which people dislike Sturridge for is really not true. He is confident, he plays with belief and is happy to be expressive with the ball. How is this a problem? 

Is it his celebration? Who really cares? He is not offending anyone, not speaking out about the opposition or his teammates. In fact Sturridge has kept a quiet profile more so than many others this past year, however people still don’t like him. 

If they find his attitude a problem then perhaps they don’t understand or appreciate football and what it needs. Success comes from confidence. 

All the best possess this belief, it’s what makes them special. Yet it seems that this a problem for many fans and media in England. Incredible. Without the self-belief would Sturridge be the player he is, would he have become a professional without it? Someone said that he doesn’t deserve to be so cocky and confident yet that is precisely what he needed. We should be happy we have such an expressive and confident player in the English team, instead we appear to want to attack and condemn him. What is wrong with our culture?

It’s not too surprising though is it? This is the same culture who perceive players like Zlatan, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez as ‘bad characters’. World class talents aren’t appreciated because they are ‘bad guys’. Well that’s just not true, what these fans are seeing are highly motivated, highly confident footballers. It is not a crime to be confident, in fact it is necessary. 

We must accept that these great players do not possess bad characters but simply they fuel their motivation. They have fire in their game, they have a passion and desire to be the very best. And somehow this is wrong. 

In his autobiography Zlatan makes a strong statement regarding the importance of having a ‘winners’ mindset’. He talks about Patrick Vieira, one of greatest midfielders to play the game yet also one with a mean temper. About the Frenchman Zlatan says; “You can’t be nice in this sport. If anybody knew that it was Patrick Vieira. He’s the type of guy who gives a hundred per cent in every situation and I saw how he boosted the entire team. There aren’t many football players I have that kind of respect for.”

This idea of a winners mentality straight away points to those players who demanding more of themselves and others, who to the fans and media were perhaps perceived as arrogant and over-confident, yet this is what made them tick and what made them effective. It is what makes them winners. 

Uniqueness should be promoted

English culture appears to dislike winning, we thrive on putting down those who succeed and take joy in failure. Schadenfreude is a German term yet the English embrace this more than anyone. Why do we as a nation seek to take this approach to our players? Why do our youngsters have to conform to a way which for some takes away what makes them effective. 

Dennis Bergkamp has spoken of this issue at Ajax’s academy and how Luis Suarez offered a different approach;

"You can see the difference with Luis Suarez when he was here (at Ajax). Of course, maybe you wouldn't agree with the things he did, but he was always trying to create something, always thinking. "How can I get the best from this situation? Do I have to pull the shirt of his defender to get in front of him? Do I get out of position to control the ball?" His mind is always busy thinking. He's very creative.

That's one of the things we try to do with the training now in Youth - give players the chance to develop themselves into creative, special, unique individuals. We can't copy what we had in the past. Somehow we have to find a different way, so the players who come into the first team are creative again, can think for themselves, can make a difference. Be special. Be unique. That's what we want."

The players we have spoken of are unorthodox, skilful, creative and very, very effective. It is in their nature as players to be this way. Why should they try to conform? And if they did would we not be taking away their genius?

This was Zlatan’s problem at Barcelona, Guardiola wanted him to be more like the others, the ‘schoolboys’ as Zlatan puts it. Yet he was a different type of player, and when tried to be more like what Barca wanted it took something away from his performances, he lost the edge to his game which makes him so unique and effective. Perhaps Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are special types of personalities which have been moulded at Barca, yet many of the world’s top players are not like this. Zlatan couldn’t deal with what they wanted him to be because it wasn’t him.

Now compare that to Sturridge, a player who could be argued to be one of English football’s most talented players and for this blog a definite starter in the World Cup. He has this same perception of him, as being troublesome, arrogant and perhaps non-conformist. Yet it really is just a case of self-belief in one’s ability, the confidence to say “give me the ball and I’ll produce”. What is wrong with this? 

Sturridge is not caught on late night drinking binges, not arrested for any offences, in fact off the pitch he seems somewhat boring. Almost like his teammate Suarez. Yet both come to life on the pitch, that is their arena to shine. And people don’t like it? It is quite baffling that their talent is not seen because people dislike the manner in which they show it.

This mentality unfortunately runs down to how we perceive and develop young players. Many coaches dislike creativity, expression and uniqueness. They prefer robots who take commands and implement a ‘two touch’ football philosophy. This is not a route to develop greatness but limited conformists. 

We need to take the shackles off our young players and let them express, let them have bit of ‘swagger’ about them, show that self-confidence and belief. As players like Zlatan, Suarez and Sturridge show greatness often requires that kind of arrogance, our culture needs to understand this and appreciate it and stop expecting every footballer to be a ‘nice guy’ on the pitch, because as Zlatan says, “You can’t be nice in this sport”. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address