Daniel Sturridge scored more goals under Brendan Rodgers than any other manager.

The England forward enjoyed the best spell of his career under the Northern Irishman, scoring 43 goals and providing 16 assists across 70 appearances in all. 

He also formed part of a deadly triumvirate which included Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling in what came to be known as the SSS. 

Together they were pulsating, clinical, fluid and at times impossible to defend against. 

During the 2013/14 season, their sublime attacking play almost carried Liverpool to their maiden Premier League title but they eventually succumbed to Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City in dramatic circumstances which Steven Gerrard will be in no rush to remember. 

But just how exactly did Rodgers manage to get the best out of Sturridge during his spell at Anfield? 

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Well, the 31-year-old, who is currently without a club having been released by Trabzonspor in March, revealed one of Rodgers' tactics during a brilliant interview with the High Performance Podcast.

Though Rodgers is typically full of effusive for his players in front of the media, it seems that his behind-the-scenes approach is rather different. 

According to Sturridge, the current Leicester City boss' critical analysis provided an added motivation. 

Sturridge alluded to Rodgers' reluctance to be complimentary during the half-time interval, suggesting that his words spurred him on to prove his manager wrong. 

"The way Brendan used to manage me, it got the best out of me, but it was a different style to Stuart Pearce.

"So, Brendan's style would be, for instance: I would go in at half-time and feel like: 'I played alright in the first-half, like I didn't score or whatever,' and he'd be digging me out!

"And I'd be like: 'What's he on about?' In my mind, I'm like: 'What's the gaffer talking about right now? I've been decent. Some other players have been miles off it today and he's picking me out?!'"

One example Sturridge remembers is a delightfully arced finish against Sunderland at Anfield during a 2-1 win in 2014. 

You can see a clip of the strike below: 

You can see Sturridge immediately turn to face the Liverpool bench, while Rodgers points adoringly at his star striker as if transmitting a deeper message through telepathy. 

"You've probably seen there was a goal that I scored against Sunderland," said Sturridge.

"I scored probably about 10 or 15 minutes after the second-half and I turned round and I looked at the bench like: 'Yeh, gaffer. You said what you said and that's what you get.'

"It was almost like me trying to prove to him wrong. Again, it was that fight or flight thing where you're trying to prove something to somebody."