Daniel Sturridge can be the top English striker, says Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers He's got all the tools to be that. He's come into a really special football club where the supporters have made him feel really welcome and he's thriving on that. He's always had the ability but it's very difficult. He was at a great club at Manchester City and probably when he was about to get his chance, having come through the system there, all the money came into the club and there probably was no opportunity for a young player. So he made the move to Chelsea thinking maybe he was going to get more opportunities but there was Didier Drogba, senior players in front of him, so he never really got the chance. Now he's come into a club that is worldwide, so he's never going to have a better platform, and he had the confidence of a manager who has always believed in him. England are fortunate to have him because he's a big, big talent. Sturridge is in the most prolific form of his career and would have earned more international caps had it not been for his injury misfortune. He made his first start in May's friendly against the Republic of Ireland but was taken off with an ankle problem and was then not selected for the Scotland game earlier this month. Now, however, he must be in contention to start the two crucial qualifiers after his second winning goal inside a week. His 21st-minute finish from close range displayed his predatory instincts after a sublime attacking move. Liverpool were dominant in the first half without ever really threatening to add a second but Sturridge's goal was enough to instil more confidence this could be another year of tangible progress. Villa clearly displayed the signs of playing their third game in a week, after lung-busting efforts against Arsenal and Chelsea. They were laboured in the first half but better in the second, with Simon Mignolet producing a brilliant late save from Christian Benteke. Nothing can detract from Villa's impressive start, though, and there is genuine potential here to challenge for a top ten place if Paul Lambert's young team can continue to evolve. Brad Guzan, the goalkeeper, believes the improvement over the last 12 months has been remarkable. I think it's massive how much we've come on. Our performances over the last week have been an absolute credit to what the manager has done here and to the boys that have come in.