Liverpool's Suarez and Sturridge - Best strike partnership in the Premier League?

Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez

As I was watching Liverpool – Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in particular – tear West Bromwich Albion apart last night, I couldn’t help but think that both of them form the best partnership in the Barclays Premier League. There are very few out-and-out strikers that operate in tandem in world football these days. In the Premier League, only the combinations of Rooney-Van Persie and Aguero-Dzeko/Negredo spring to mind. All those combinations are top class and work really well for their respective sides, but what sets Suarez and Sturridge apart?

Maybe, the sheer impact they have on the side’s performance, and their ability to single-handedly create a goal out of seemingly nothing. Suarez and Sturridge are as different as one can see strikers. While Suarez is full of tricks and loves to come deep and instigate the play, Sturridge is more direct with his running and his taking of shots. In 11 starts together, the two of them have 17 goals between them, and on a lot of occasions, one’s goal has been set up by the other. What strikes you with Suarez and Sturridge is how close they are to each other, in terms of position, ensuring that neither of them is isolated at any point in time, and there is always an outlet for the man in possession of the ball.

The numbers rarely ever lie, but they don’t tell the complete story about Sturridge and Suarez. Yes, Sturridge has 14 goals in 14 games, Suarez has 14 in 13, and they are at 1 and 2 in the Premier League goal scoring charts this season, but what accentuates their performances is that only 3 of Liverpool’s league goals this season have been scored by someone other than the two of them – Victor Moses against Swansea and Steven Gerrard‘s penalties against Crystal Palace and Newcastle. They are two of the most fearless strikers in the league and that was again exemplified by Sturridge’s audacious lob from 20-25 yards out into the net at the Kop End last night against WBA.

Often, it is essential that strikers have the confidence in their ability to pull out the unthinkable, and the sheer frequency of either of them pulling out something incredible is what has been benefiting Liverpool since January when they made the seemingly big gamble of investing in Sturridge. Be it Suarez’s nutmegs, Sturridge beating defenders for fun, Suarez’s free-kicks or Sturridge’s bullets from his left foot, Liverpool fans have been treated to exceptional stuff all too often when the two of them have been paired upfront by Brendan Rodgers.

What is frightening about the two is how good they can still become. Both of them have age on their side, and will only improve. The already blossoming understanding will only get better as they play more games with each other, and the already prevalent sharp movement can only become sharper.

With the likes of Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho playing behind them, there will be no shortage in supply and if these two marksmen can keep their focus and keep pumping in the goals, Liverpool fans can look forward to that Golden Sky which comes at the end of a storm.