COMMENT: Daniel Sturridge. Whether the gaffer wants to keep him or not, the best thing Jurgen Klopp could've done for player and club this summer was buy a new first-choice striker.
That was a message at high noon on Saturday. Forget tactics and team balance. Klopp was giving it straight to his No1 striker. The Liverpool manager not only benched Sturridge at Tottenham, but didn't give him a run until the 88th minute. He's since copped pelters for his decision-making, but he'll have prepared himself for that. He wants a reaction. He wants to see how Sturridge responds.
The German is being hammered today for leaving it so late to throw on his No15, but the focus shouldn't be on the manager this week. It should be on Sturridge.
Even his most vocal advocates concede he can be a right surly so-and-so. And especially if things aren't going his way. This is a test for Sturridge. And as of Saturday evening, a fully fit Sturridge. There's no excuses. How he responds over the international break could well decide his Liverpool career.
The pair went into the game questioning eachother in the press. It may not have been face-to-face, but according to Sturridge, it's the most direct contact he's had with the manager since the start of preseason. The England man had complained about being played wide - and was duly rebuked by Klopp.
However, what's being missed amongst the back-and-forth is Sturridge's best run of form as a Liverpool player. That was three years ago. Remember? Alongside Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez. But it was Suarez who was the main man. Sturridge played wide, off the Uruguayan's shoulder. And he was as lethal and exciting as he ever has been in his career. Oh,... and also consistent. The sick-note reputation didn't arrive until after Suarez's sale to Barcelona.
Is there a clue amongst all that? Could it be that playing second fiddle to Suarez. With his own starting place no guarantee. That Sturridge not only accepted being played out of position, but embraced it. And those niggles, which now weigh him down, were ignored by a player knowing he couldn't be sure of an instant return to the starting XI?
At the moment, Liverpool look like they're waiting for Sturridge. There's no other player like him in Klopp's squad. There's no-one threatening his status. Not even Sadio Mane. If Sturridge is in half-decent form, he's confident he'll be a first-choice. If Klopp had managed to tempt Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund, maybe all this angst between the pair would never have materialised.
Klopp rates Sturridge. You can't doubt that. But he's looking for more from the player. Being happy "scoring goals", can't be enough at this stage in his career.
Sturridge is now a senior player. A locker room leader. A role model for Klopp's kids. But he doesn't appear willing to take on the responsibility.
From the manager's perspective, what sort of message is Sturridge sending his young teammates? His body language. His public complaints. His exaggerated injuries. Is this the example Klopp wants from perhaps the biggest player influence at the club?
It was a gamble from Klopp at White Hart Lane. But the message was clear: Daniel, we're no longer waiting for you.
Ideally, the manager would've been happier snatching a win at Spurs with Sturridge a non-playing substitute. It's nothing personal. But Klopp wants Sturridge to realise he needs to go that extra yard, whether it be carrying a knock, or not being played where he wants, to be part of this Liverpool XI.
Before the moaning about where he wants to play, Sturridge declared he wanted to be "the best striker in the league". But he and his fans have been living on three year-old memories. And a two-year record of 12 goals in 25 games. A nice ratio, but not the stuff of champions.
Sturridge may be upset after Saturday, but the opportunity is still there. With the transfer window about to swing shut and no new No9 about to crash through the Shankly Gates, Sturridge couldn't wish for a better show of confidence from his manager.
There's still nothing like Sturridge in Klopp's squad. The gaffer is willing to still wait. But that patience is sure to run out. Sturridge needs to use this break to show what he can do for Klopp - and not whinge about what the manager should be doing for him.
INJURY TIME
Forget the Burnley result. Just write it off. Every major team will drop points unexpectedly this season. That's a guarantee.
Yeah, okay, so Manchester United and Chelsea have their 100 per cent record. But it can be argued that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have made the best start to the season of any of the contenders.
Four points from two trips to North London? Is United going to match that? Manchester City?
There's holes in Klopp's team. That's for sure. And perhaps this season will be too soon for the current team to mount a serious title tilt. But Liverpool's start to the season has been the best of any in the Premier League.