#7 | Raheem Sterling - 2020/21 Performances

[BillyShears]

head in sand.

I feel similar about those who don't see Raz's qualities and micro-analyse every mistake he makes to suit a wider narrative about him not being a top player.

 

[mosssideblue]

I feel similar about those who don't see Raz's qualities and micro-analyse every mistake he makes to suit a wider narrative about him not being a top player.

His mistakes are frequent and glaringly obvious enough, that micro analysing isn't necessary.

Pep has hooked him twice in recent games, that says an awful lot, as normally he gets the full 90

 

[DAGW]

Does anyone think that at his best Sterling isn't a top level player? I don't think many/any in here are saying that. What is being said, is that the guy is woefully out of form, and has been for a significant amount of time.

He cant have the past 3 years he has had, and then hope that nobody notices that his form has fallen off a cliff this season. Its there, right in front of everyone. Are we supposed to just ignore it because of what has gone before? His last few seasons means he has money in the bank, but it cant last forever. It wont last forever with Pep, he was already clearly frustrated with him the other night.

3-4 years ago we had a team that created a ludicrous amount of chances, and had Aguero to put them away at will. When you’re sweeping teams aside by burying 4-5 of those chances every game, no-one quibbles about the missed opportunities.

When you lose Aguero to injury, Yaya declines and moves on, Silva moves on, it falls to the rest of the established players to fill the void whilst others settle in. The team went through a phase a season or so ago where we were creating chances galore but not putting them away. We were incredibly wasteful, and it was being picked up on by everyone - Sterling was a major culprit in those missed chances.

This season we’ve become stronger defensively and as a result, the number of chances we produce seems to have dropped a bit, which makes every goal scoring/creating opportunity that bit more important. Sterling isn’t the only culprit (Jesus and Mahrez shoulder some of the blame too) but each missed opportunity is all the more glaring, especially when players make the same mistakes repeatedly. Even more so when it’s about 3 chances missed in 5 mins.

I don’t think there are many blues who dislike Sterling, I don’t know how you could; we all want him to do well and succeed, but when you see the same mistakes over and over again you can’t blame people for questioning whether a player should be playing every game.

We don’t need to sell Raz, but starting Torres for instance is an easy change to make to see if he can do a better job in there.

 

[FAManCity]

You think Raheem Sterling will go and play in the MLS when he's 28?!

He can stay for 5 more years with us but Txixi and Pep will decide the rest.

 

[BillyShears]

His mistakes are frequent and glaringly obvious enough, that micro analysing isn't necessary.

Pep has hooked him twice in recent games, that says an awful lot, as normally he gets the full 90

Give me a shout when Pep drops him for a game that matters.

 

[mosssideblue]

Give me a shout when Pep drops him for a game that matters.

Matters to who, you or the club.

 

[BillyShears]

Matters to who, you or the club.

You know exactly what I mean mate. It's very simple, if Sterling's form was as bad as people are making out, then Pep would just drop him. We have loads of attacking players and Pep isn't averse to benching players if they've been shit for ages.

I think it's important to have the balance between the micro-analysis I mentioned earlier, and trying to remember that football is a team sport. Individuals are important because they function well within a team. Yes they have to perform well individually, but that judgement can't solely be made on three or four instances over 90 minutes.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

What kind of actual bollocks is that?

He is a professional footballer who cannot control or strike a football consistently. You don't think there are countless players better than him actually on the ball? I named 5 wide men from City alone.

Sterling is one of those players that there is very little middle ground with. The things he does best, he is one of the best in the World at. When in form, he is unplayable. IMO the rest of his game is extremely average, which is fine as long as he is doing what he does best. Currently he isn't, and hasn't been for months.

 

[aguero93:20]

To be fair he was playing along side Suarez in his prime and a team brimming with the kind of confidence(until the end of teh season at least lol) arsenal can only dream of. Current arsenal is no comparison to 2014 dippers.

He reached double figures for both the season after in a dysfunctional team without Suarez. 11 goals 10 assists.

 

[mosssideblue]

You know exactly what I mean mate. It's very simple, if Sterling's form was as bad as people are making out, then Pep would just drop him. We have loads of attacking players and Pep isn't averse to benching players if they've been shit for ages.

I think it's important to have the balance between the micro-analysis I mentioned earlier, and trying to remember that football is a team sport. Individuals are important because they function well within a team. Yes they have to perform well individually, but that judgement can't solely be made on three or four instances over 90 minutes.

If it were the odd game, then yeah, but it hasn't been, hence why nearly after every match this season, the same errors are raised. These are errors no top player should be making so regularly.

 

[BillyShears]

If it were the odd game, then yeah, but it hasn't been, hence why nearly after every match this season, the same errors are raised. These are errors no top player should be making so regularly.

Yeah, I just don't agree with the assessment. Nothing to do with spectacles or burying my head. Objectively and respectfully I just don't agree.

 

[BillyShears]

He is a professional footballer who cannot control or strike a football consistently. You don't think there are countless players better than him actually on the ball? I named 5 wide men from City alone.

Sterling is one of those players that there is very little middle ground with. The things he does best, he is one of the best in the World at. When in form, he is unplayable. IMO the rest of his game is extremely average, which is fine as long as he is doing what he does best. Currently he isn't, and hasn't been for months.

Same as with @mosssideblue - all I can say is that I just don't agree. I find my opinion to be so far away from yours I'm not sure that there's any value in continuing the conversation.

 

[mosssideblue]

Yeah, I just don't agree with the assessment. Nothing to do with spectacles or burying my head. Objectively and respectfully I just don't agree.

That's fair enough, we have had a decent debate, kept it non personal and simply agree to disagree. How it should be

 

[FantasyIreland]

Saka is a top player. What’s weird is that so is Sterling. But you’d never guess that reading this thread. So odd.

The difference with Saka is his consistency in games and his end product....things happen with that kid,you know he will pick the pass or make the correct decision.Already he is a match winner,and he's getting better.

I'm hoping not,because i dont think he is going anywhere,but its not beyond possibility that Sterling has peaked.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Think you got it right on the pod yesterday.
Simply Sterling was poor midweek but the 5 or 6 games or so before that he's been great overall. I wouldn't go quite as far as Lloyd but I'm so much closer to his view and a million miles away from the extreme views on here.

'Great overall'?

He hasn't though,he has done the bare minimum in games to justify his inclusion,and,considering he is expected to produce world class performances.....he is currently offering nothing more than any other half decent Prem winger couldn't replicate.
At best he's been a 7/10,more often a 5 or 6 - The inflated praise really isn't deserved.

 

[Rammy Blue]

I feel similar about those who don't see Raz's qualities and micro-analyse every mistake he makes to suit a wider narrative about him not being a top player.

I know I’m a bit late to the conversation mate, but I think you are being far too entrenched in your views. He’s a top player, no doubt, but so horribly out of form it’s pretty frightening. He’s back at being the level he was a few years ago when a lot were doubting why we’d spent the money on him.

Of course, everyone was delighted to then see how amazingly he performed for the next couple of years, but he’s back to stinking the place out.

I then think it’s harsh to have a pop at anyone on here bemoaning his form after watching the game the other night, where my dead granny would have had a better game. He was truly awful to the point where he was incapable of the most basic elements of football. I was shaking my head in bewilderment at his performance the other night, it really was that bad.

Quite what the answer is, I have absolutely no idea, as I’ve never known a player like him - capable of 30 goals a year and brilliant awareness of where to be at the right time, yet also can look like someone who has never kicked a ball in his life. It’s bizarre.

 

[domalino]

It’s truly incredible how often I’ve read varying degrees of Sterling isn’t a top level player. The levels of delusion in this thread are bordering on clinical at present and one or two need a holiday from football before they eat themselves.

Sterling will likely retire as City's all time top goalscorer, with ~30 trophies, leading a bunch of all time PL records and statistics, probably Englands most capped player, and people on here will still be talking about if he's really got what it takes to be a top level player.

I think I've accepted that for whatever varying reasons, some people just won't see what's right in front of them. It'll be mildly annoying seeing this debate go on for the majority of the next 10 years, but I suppose it will be more annoying for them to see Sterling play 3 times a week over that time.

 

[asahartford1]

I know I’m a bit late to the conversation mate, but I think you are being far too entrenched in your views. He’s a top player, no doubt, but so horribly out of form it’s pretty frightening. He’s back at being the level he was a few years ago when a lot were doubting why we’d spent the money on him.

Of course, everyone was delighted to then see how amazingly he performed for the next couple of years, but he’s back to stinking the place out.
In your opinion why does Pep continually start a player who

"Stinks the place out"

In your opinion, why do you think pep( A reasonably successful coach) continually starts a player who ",stinks the place out"

 

[asahartford1]

Sterling will likely retire as City's all time top goalscorer, with ~30 trophies, leading a bunch of all time PL records and statistics, probably Englands most capped player, and people on here will still be talking about if he's really got what it takes to be a top level player.

I think I've accepted that for whatever varying reasons, some people just won't see what's right in front of them. It'll be mildly annoying seeing this debate go on for the majority of the next 10 years, but I suppose it will be more annoying for them to see Sterling play 3 times a week over that time.

Most of them were were trying to bum Gundogan and Bernardo out of the club a few months back.

 

[leo_city]

Sterling's form is the least of our concerns right now. His finishing has always been suspect, and it's something that'll never improve I'm afraid, and something a coach can't do anything about either.