Filed under: Bolton, Chelsea, FA Cup, Football
It is not only Wayne Rooney who will be hurting on FA Cup semi-final weekend.While the Manchester United striker is banned from Saturday's eagerly-anticipated showdown with neighbours City following his expletive-laden rant against West Ham, Bolton's Daniel Sturridge will also miss out on the Wembley experience.
By playing in Chelsea's 7-0 FA Cup third round thrashing of Ipswich, in which he scored twice, Sturridge is cup-tied for Bolton's semi-final on Sunday.
Good news for opponents Stoke but a crying shame for four-times FA Cup winners Bolton because the 21-year-old has been nothing short of sensational since moving to the Reebok on loan at the end of January.
Six goals in eight Premier League appearances, including two against West Ham at the weekend, have transformed Sturridge from a bit-part player at Chelsea to a hero at Bolton.
He could have stayed in his comfort zone at Stamford Bridge, making the odd appearance here and the odd appearance there.
But Fernando Torres's arrival at Chelsea convinced Sturridge that he needed to get more game time under his belt elsewhere. And on current evidence, it is the best decision he has made so far in his fledgling career.
Sturridge's form has not gone unnoticed and even Rooney has been impressed.
"He's scored a few goals recently and played well," said Rooney after Manchester United's 1-0 win over Bolton last month.
"He's a really good player and I was actually surprised Chelsea let him go on loan - I thought he was good enough to be playing in their team."
Of course Sturridge's absence this weekend presents Owen Coyle with a problem, but the Bolton manager insists he has replacements to fill the void in the shape of Ivan Klasnic and Matt Taylor.
"Of course a young player like Daniel would be desperate to grace Wembley," said Coyle, whose is looking to lead Bolton to their first FA Cup final since 1958, when they won it.
"He has pace to burn. You love watching that kind of player because we are all here to be entertained. I want a team that is pleasing on the eye."
It is not that Sturridge is a stranger to Wembley.
Indeed he has an FA Cup winners' medal from last season after scoring four times to help Chelsea reach Wembley before replacing Nicolas Anelka in the final minute of the final against Portsmouth.
And Sturridge has been back to Wembley since then in the Community Shield.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/11/fa-cup-bolton-semi-final-daniel-sturridge-cup-tied/
Maxi RodrÃguez Michael Ballack Michael Essien Michael Owen Mikhail Youzhny
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