Sturridge: Chelsea Never Believed In Me

Sturridge: Chelsea Never Believed In Me

According to ESPN, the current top scorer of the Barclays Premier League – Daniel Sturridge has launched a scathing attack on his former employers Chelsea for not believing in his ability to lead the attack for the Blues during his spell at the London based club.

Chelsea have had to dig deep under to find the right form needed to convert draws into victories this season. The return of Jose Mourinho brought back hopes of the supporters, but could not solve the ongoing state of dilemma in the Chelsea attack line which has seen a lack of goals from the strikers for the past few seasons. Mourinho of all people knows the importance of Didier Drogba in a side, and when the Ivorian left the Blues for his short spell in China, it left a gaping hole in the Chelsea attack that could not be filled by any attacker. The £50 million acquisition of Fernando Torres from Liverpool was thought to be the move that rescued Chelsea from the strike troubles, but the move hardly solved any problems, if not create more. Torres’ sudden decline in form was a worrying factor, but one which had to be ignored by the managers that followed. Even though in normal circumstances, a manager would place the player on the bench if he was having a bad patch, the managers at Chelsea realized they could not simply place a player who the club paid £50 million for on the bench. Due to the dependence on Roman Abramovich’s expanding wealth, Chelsea brought in Eden Hazard, Oscar, Andre Schurrle, Victor Moses, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o in the consequent seasons, but the presence of a centre forward like Drogba who could lead the line with confidence still eludes the Chelsea squad.

Sturridge’s spell at Stamford Bridge was cut short to 63 appearances in 5 seasons, a concerning factor for a 24-year old player with bigger ambitions. Sturridge’s move to Liverpool is proving to be a blessing for the Reds, with the striker scoring 8 goals in 9 league appearances.

Sturridge said, “Brendan Rodgers knows what I need,

“I needed to be believed in, to play as a centre-forward at a club, and I didn’t get that at Chelsea.

“He gave me the opportunity to do that here. It’s great to be part of his philosophy. He gets the most out of his players, and makes us want to win for him.”