Sturridge: Why I'm confident for 14-15
Fresh from hitting the pivotal winner past Southampton on Sunday, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has revealed why he is filled with confidence for the club's prospects this season.
The 24-year-old picked up his goalscoring baton from the last campaign by neatly prodding home in the closing stages of a 2-1 victory over Southampton on the opening day.
His effort ensured that the Reds emulated their achievements of 12 months ago, when they kicked off proceedings with three points and built strongly from there.
Sturridge has faith that the new season can follow a similar path for Brendan Rodgers' team, highlighting numerous beneficial factors in play for Liverpool.
"We're mentally refreshed and ready for this season," the No.15 enthused. "The manager has made some great signings, and we are looking forward to the future and a successful season.
"Everyone is hungry for success. It's going to be a long season, especially with the Champions League, which I can't wait to play in and I'm sure all the players are the same.
"It was important to get off to a good start, but we have to understand it's just one game, and there are 37 to go. It's very early to be making predictions on who's going to win the league or finish in the top four.
"We go about our business silently. Last season we were underdogs, and I think this season we are underdogs. I don't think that changes. We will go out there and try to perform to the best of our ability in every game. It doesn't matter who the opposition is, it doesn't faze us.
"It's early in the season, but we have confidence in ourselves. With the philosophy that the manager has, the individuals that we have, plus the way we play collectively, we feel that no matter the opposition, we can win every game.
"Sunday was one of those days where you have to grind it out, but we got the result, and that's what matters most. It was an important three points for us."
The Reds were forced to reach into their reserves of resolve to overcome Ronald Koeman's charges, who equalised in the second half through a nicely-taken strike by Nathaniel Clyne.
When the decisive moment arrived, it was Sturridge in the perfect place to redirect Raheem Sterling's header into dangerous territory beyond the reach of Fraser Forster.
Rodgers later praised his side for the manner in which they fought to claim the win and the striker echoed his manager's comments on finding different paths to victory.
"It's very important to show resilience, to go out there with the right mentality, to fight as a team," Sturridge, who now has 36 goals in 50 games for Liverpool, added.
"In these instances, where you play against opponents who make it very difficult for you to break them down, you have to try to find different ways to win games.
"Whether it's individual brilliance, poacher's goals, corners, set-pieces, no matter what, you have to find a way to win the game. I think we've shown we can win those games just as well as we can playing slick football, with the intricate moves and the one-twos around the box.
"Last week, we played against Borussia Dortmund in a friendly game, fantastic opposition, and the way we played against them was completely different to how we performed against Southampton.
"But it's important to win games like this, and to have that belief within the squad that no matter how we perform, whether things are going our way or not, we can still get a result."