Daniel Sturridge believes he can form a successful strike partnership with Mario Balotelli, having recently returned from five months on the sidelines with injury.
Balotelli struggled in the absence of the Reds number 15, and only scored his first Premier League goal for the club when replacing Sturridge in the 75th minute of Tuesday’s clash with Tottenham.
Liverpool supporters are praying Balotelli’s first Premier League paves the way for a successful spell at the club, and Sturridge reckons his return can help the pair forge a dangerous strike partnership.
“It was important for Mario,” Sturridge said. “He’s been waiting for a while to break his duck and been working very hard in training, and now he has scored one in the league I am sure things will start to go his way now.
“It’s not easy to settle into a new team, a new area, a new lifestyle, with different people around you and so on and so forth. People don’t ever take that into account. I try to do my bit (to help him), although I’m not taking any credit for him scoring against Spurs – I’m just happy he did!”
Sturridge and Balotelli have only played once together for Liverpool, during the win at White Hart Lane back in August.
There were signs that day of a promising partnership, and Sturridge reckons the pair can develop it further in the coming weeks.
“Of course we can get a good understanding going,” he said. “I’d say I can play with any player not just Mario. Whatever team the manager chooses to put out I will do my best, whoever I have a partnership with.
“I try to adapt to whoever I am playing with and bring out the best in each other, and we (me and Mario) click when we are playing together.
“I like playing with a partner, but I also like playing on my own. It is down to whatever the manager chooses but it is important, whoever I am playing with, to help them play well. It is not just about me trying to do what I do.
“In the Tottenham game (in August) I played a little bit different to how I did on Tuesday night because I know how (Philippe) Coutinho plays and he likes to thread balls through so I have to play on the shoulder a bit more.
“With Mario I can move around and go into wide areas because I know he will occupy the centre-halves. It is different, you play differently with different players and I am sure we will strike up a partnership in the future, I have no doubts about that.”
