It doesn’t matter whether Daniel Sturridge plays five minutes or 55 minutes for Perth against Western United on Friday night – the orders to the United defence will still be the same.
The home side’s coach knows better than most the devastating effect Sturridge can have, which is why John Aloisi is working overtime to ensure there is no extension to the England striker’s highlights reel at AAMI Park.
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Having forged his own path in Europe as a striker, Aloisi can enjoy the wide range of Sturridge’s talents, with Perth coach Richard Garcia having promised to give the former Liverpool and Chelsea star a longer stint off the bench as he works up to full match fitness.
Having won the Champions League and scored at a World Cup, Sturridge’s pedigree is obvious – but negating that danger is something else, given what Aloisi identified as his ability to score almost every kind of goal.
“Having watched him over the years, for Liverpool and Chelsea, the thing that has always stood out to me is his ability to beat players,” Aloisi said. “Yes he’s got pace, but his skill in a 1 v 1 is phenomenal – and then he has the finishing to go with it.
“It’s his eye for creating something out of nothing that is so dangerous. He can score from distance, do the spectacular goals, and also be a goal poacher.
“Even if he’s not in the game, if you think you’ve marginalised him, he can suddenly find a moment to win a game. You have to be alert constantly, and mentally that’s a challenge facing any top player.
“We’ve worked this week on the players being aware to give someone like Sturridge no time on the ball, even away from goal. You’ve seen many times he can shoot from distance, and if you give him space he’ll probably hurt you.
“We need to get numbers around the ball, and pressure on the ball, to win it back and play our game.
“But he seems hungry to achieve things here which is good for Perth and good for the A-League. We need visa players who want to make things happen, who can be a good influence on our young players and help them improve.”
Not that Perth’s attack will be exactly toothless even while Sturridge remains on the bench, with Bruno Fornaroli securing the A-League’s opening Goal of the Week award for a long-distance strike last week that amplified once more his enduring threat to defences.
“Bruno has always been a danger, and that goal shows he only needs half a chance still,” added Aloisi. “We’ve worked this week on our awareness, understanding that you can be dominating a game but an individual like that can hurt you.
“But we’re also confident in the way we’re playing, and I’ve told our boys if they play like they did against Victory we’ll win more games than we lose.”
