#7 | Raheem Sterling - 2020/21 Performances

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He doesnt deserve a better contract on current form , football has been hammered financially and i dont see any clubs offering him over £300k a week unless he see's his contract out and is a free transfer. When he returns to form and starts knocking the goals in again then he will be in a stronger position , but what's his alternative ? Move to a bigger club ? You can count them on one hand , he's already at a big club , winning trophies and being paid a kings ransom.
 
EekC said:
The problem with football is just how reactionary it makes some people. Look at the start of the season where Gundogan and Mahrez were public enemy number one but now both of them make everyone's first 11. Sterling is obviously having a poor season but he will bounce back, just like every other player in this squad has.
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You mention Gundog and Mahrez, they had much fewer opportunities to regain their form. How long do we wait to see if Sterling does, what if he doesn't?
 
sir baconface said:
Absolutely. On both form and COVID economics, he would be worth less. The problem is that might spark a transfer request. That‘s partly why I advocate putting negotiations on hold for a few months
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Almost certainly a good idea, I agree. Apart from anything else, with the state of clubs' finances at the moment, it's a terrible time to be trying to sell a player. And from Sterling's perspective, a terrible time to be trying to secure a more lucrative contract. It's in neither parties' interests to try to do a new deal right now.
 
Let's not forget how good he was against Liverpool at Anfield...

Yesterday it was a bad selection from Pep..

Torress is useless winger - doesn't matter he scored or not - he doesn't offer anything except for back passes.
His finishing skills are perfect but winger needs more than that.

Zinchenko had a first game as a midfielder and he wasn't as good as we would expect..

Mendy is / was and always will be below average. Yes he scored one goal but let's not forget his past 4 years and his contribution which is less than zero -> literally.

Ake also had a first game since his injury..

So it was a very experimental selection which you can use in a cup games or relegation zone teams, but Leeds is a different level and therefore result came accordingly.
 
DATOIA said:
Let's not forget how good he was against Liverpool at Anfield...

Yesterday it was a bad selection from Pep..

Torress is useless winger - doesn't matter he scored or not - he doesn't offer anything except for back passes.
His finishing skills are perfect but winger needs more than that.

Zinchenko had a first game as a midfielder and he wasn't as good as we would expect..

Mendy is / was and always will be below average. Yes he scored one goal but let's not forget his past 4 years and his contribution which is less than zero -> literally.

Ake also had a first game since his injury..

So it was a very experimental selection which you can use in a cup games or relegation zone teams, but Leeds is a different level and therefore result came accordingly.
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Other than your first sentence, doesn't the rest of your post belong in the post match thread?
 
He’s not currently justifying being one of our top earners and being in the middle of a slump whilst negotiating a new deal is going to irk. Make no mistake though, City will be keen to get the deal done because it’s the right decision for both parties.
Anybody thinking there’s a chance he will be sold are going to be left very disappointed.
Yesterday was another poor performance in a season littered with them but he’s still a hugely important player who will bounce back I’m sure.
 
EekC said:
The problem with football is just how reactionary it makes some people. Look at the start of the season where Gundogan and Mahrez were public enemy number one but now both of them make everyone's first 11. Sterling is obviously having a poor season but he will bounce back, just like every other player in this squad has.
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No. The problem is you don’t always KNOW whether a particular player will bounce back.

If someone’s earning £5m a year for producing a long run of shit, they will naturally be pilloried.They got the £5m for performance and potential and that’s how they’ll be judged. If the crystal ball promises a return to full previous glory, people will be reasonably patient. If their skill set is in doubt, or their ability to adapt to a changed system, then less so.

Personality comes into it as well. A bright and breezy, selfless, outgoing individual will be given more slack than a more surly introverted one.

All hypothetical of course.
 
Ric said:
He bagged 20 goals last season tbf. Agree that his form at the moment is a concern, but don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that it is indeed just a bad patch, given how he’s performed for us over the last 5/6 years. Just feels like people are too quick to write players off nowadays. The likes of Stones, Gundogan and Rodri (amongst others) should serve as a reminder that players can go through bad patches and come out better for it. Too much haste these days imo.
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This sums up the whole blind faith "I'm sure he'll come good again" defence of Sterling. What he did last season, or the seasons before, has little bearing on what he's doing now. Otherwise we'd still be playing Franny Lee.

He's the second highest paid player in the squad but he seemingly lacks or can't apply the technical skills that a 10 year old in the Academy is expected to possess and apply, such as controlling a ball when standing still and running. He struggles against the better teams and usually has, even in his better periods. His whole professional skill set is lacking at the moment.

He can't get a shot on target from more than 8 yards. He lacks the composure and confidence to take a shot quickly or on the run. You know that every time he carves out a chance for himself, he's going to stop and check back. Sometimes he gets away with it but more often he messes up. He can't do what Foden did on Tuesday, which is accelerate and beat two men.

And this has been going on all this season and most of last. Yes he got 20 goals but it should have been 30. We've known his weaknesses for a while but we've overlooked them because he's usually done enough to warrant that. But he's not doing enough now and hasn't been for a while. He had a semi-decent game in thr League Cup semi-final and that's about it. That might be OK if we were paying him £70k a week but he's a senior member of the squad and supposed to be a leader, yet he's serving up one utter dross performance after another. He's contributing zilch and we're playing with 10 men when he starts.

This situation reminds me of Negredo, who was on fire for half a season then had his injury, plus his alleged personal issues, and we never saw anything like that from him after.

He's simply a luxury we can't afford and if I was Txiki Begiristain I'd be looking to get better value for money. I've even said that I reckon his head is somewhere else, as this is far too like his final season at Liverpool. I reckon he's made up his mind to move on and I think a change of scenery might do him good.
 
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Prestwich_Blue said:
This sums up the 'blind faith' "I'm sure he'll come good again" defence of Sterling. What he did last season, or the seasons before, has little bearing on what he's doing now. Otherwise we'd still be playing Franny Lee.

He's the second highest paid player in the squad but he seemingly lacks or can't apply the technical skills that a 10 year old in the Academy is expected to possess, such as controlling a ball when standing still and running. He struggles against the better team and usually has, even in his better periods. His whole professional skill set is lacking at the moment.

He can't get a shot on target from more than 8 yards. He lacks the composure and confidence to take a shot quickly or on the run. You know that every time he carves out a chance for himself, he's going to stop and check back. Sometimes he gets away with it but more often he fixes up. He can't do what Foden did on Tuesday, which is accelerate and beat two men.

And this has been going on all this season and most of last. Yes he got 20 goals but it should have been 30. We've known his weaknesses for a while but we've overlooked them because he's usually done enough to warrant that. But he's not doing enough now and hasn't been for a while. He had a semi-decent game in thr League Cup semi-final and that's about it. That might be OK if we were paying him £70k a week but he's a senior member of the squad and supposed to be a leader, yet he's serving up one utter dross performance after another. He's contributing zilch and we're playing with 10 men when he starts.

This situation reminds me of Negredo, who was on fire for half a season then had his injury, plus his alleged personal issues, and we never saw anything like that from him after.

He's simply a luxury we can't afford and if I was Txiki Begiristain I'd be looking to get better value for money. I've even said that I reckon his head is somewhere else, as this is far too like his final season at Liverpool. I reckon he's made up his mind to move on and I think a change of scenery might do him good.
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Fucking terrible post.

Begiristain will give Raz a new contract this summer because he knows football.
 
BillyShears said:
Fucking terrible post.

Begiristain will give Raz a new contract this summer because he knows football.
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Do you seriously think we'll give a KDB style contract to a player who can't trap a ball reliably?

One of the things that made Ferguson the most successful manager of the modern era was his ruthlessness. If he thought a player wasn't delivering, or even suspected they'd passed their peak, he got rid. He built one great squad after another. Their downfall as a team came when he lost interest in building a new squad and just tried to extract the maximum he could from the one he had.

We've all seen Sterling's weaknesses, even when he's been playing well, but now it's just weaknesses without the benefits. Money is tight at the moment and Sterling's on the books at just a few million quid. I suspect Soriano will be delighted to take a very good profit rather than go down the big new contract and inshallah route.
 
BillyShears said:
Fucking terrible post.

Begiristain will give Raz a new contract this summer because he knows football.
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Note to posters. Let‘s doff our caps to the ITKs and waste no more time with our own ill-informed observations and debate. When someone’s track record and credentials are unimpeachable, there is simply no more to be said.
 
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Personally I think it's time for him to move on and I'd wish him all the best.
He's been a great player for us but IMO it is time.
Similar to how Sergio is not in future plans.
I feel the team have moved on from playing to his strengths and I'm not sure he is versatile enough to adapt. I hope I'm wrong.
 
Tugay One Cup said:
I think it will be interesting to see where this goes. If the renewal drags on and he doesn't get out of this slump then his bargaining position will get weaker and weaker.
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I imagine his position could be strengthened considerably if he is aware of concrete interest from elsewhere
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
Do you seriously think we'll give a KDB style contract to a player who can't trap a ball reliably?

One of the things that made Ferguson the most successful manager of the modern era was his ruthlessness. If he thought a player wasn't delivering, or even suspected they'd passed their peak, he got rid. He built one great squad after another. Their downfall as a team came when he lost interest in building a new squad and just tried to extract the maximum he could from the one he had.

We've all seen Sterling's weaknesses, even when he's been playing well, but now it's just weaknesses without the benefits. Money is tight at the moment and Sterling's on the books at just a few million quid. I suspect Soriano will be delighted to take a very good profit rather than go down the big new contract and inshallah route.
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There’s a difference between ruthless and clueless. Big difference. For the rest I have nothing else to say to you. You’ve made your position clear so you’re another one I’ll absolutely be coming back to when Raz inevitably picks up his confidence and form.
 
Tugay One Cup said:
I think it will be interesting to see where this goes. If the renewal drags on and he doesn't get out of this slump then his bargaining position will get weaker and weaker.
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Reliably informed they’re on their way and the expectation is before he leaves for the Euros he’ll be signed up.
 
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