Suarez and Sturridge the best in the business?

Football’s original “SAS” partnership fired Blackburn Rovers to a surprise Premier League title back in 1995. The new version is aiming to do the same for Liverpool 19 years later.

Back then, it was Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton who scored the goals 49 between them that brought the trophy to Ewood Park.

The modern-day SAS combination is Suarez And Sturridge Luis and Daniel and they’re scoring for fun.

They go into Saturday’s Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park, having scored eight apiece in the league already.

There are a lot of great strike partnerships around at the moment Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie at Manchester United and Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo at Manchester City, for instance but it’s hard to argue against Suarez and Sturridge being right up there with the best.

Liverpool’s owner, John W Henry, has no doubts.

“Daniel and Luis the most dangerous tandem in football,” Henry tweeted the other day. “Could dominate the Premier League playing as brothers.”

Suarez, who stayed at Liverpool despite Arsenal tabling a bid that triggered a £40 million clause in his contract in the summer, has returned from his 10-match suspension to rediscover his best form.

The Uruguayan watched Sturridge grow and mature while holding the attacking fort during his absence and acknowledges that their partnership is something special.

“Daniel and I are combining very well and I believe we are one of the most dangerous pairs of strikers in Europe,” he says.

“He is 24 and I am 26. Maybe in a few years, I will be able to say my best partnership was with Daniel, especially if we can continue to progress.

“In the last few seasons, Liverpool have not been in the Champions League and we know we can help the team to challenge for the top four.

“I am very happy with my goals after my long absence. My objective this season is to play, score goals and to win the Premier League.

“We are serious challengers. All the big clubs will suffer defeats because things are more equal and the championship race is very open.”

England international Sturridge adds: “It’s great to play with Luis. We give defenders problems and we’re both different. It’s good to have a strike partner you can bounce off.

“We get on well and that’s the most important thing. There is no rivalry there, no hidden agendas.

“It’s not about the SAS strike-force, it’s about the team. The players behind us work so hard, they make our jobs easy, really.”

Manager Brendan Rodgers is the man who has had to find a playing format in which both strikers can flourish.

And he insists the he hasn’t had to deal with any problematic egos.

“Neither is the main man,” says Rodgers. “This is not that type of club. Here players get told where to play. We don’t mollycoddle them.

“They are expected to come in and do a job. If they want to be the superstar, they can go elsewhere.

“People used to say we were a one-man team when Suarez was playing. I always said we weren’t and if you look at the statistics, I was right.

“When Daniel came in last January there was a big question mark and he’s answered those questions.

“There’s a myth around Sturridge that he’s arrogant and difficult to manage. He’s actually one of the nicest boys I’ve met in my life.

“I sat with him when he was thinking of coming here and told him not to sign unless he was committed.

“I didn’t want him just motivated, because some days that won’t happen. He had to commit to our cause.

“I told him we’d come up with a plan to help him become the best he could be.”