#7 | Raheem Sterling - 2020/21 Performances

[mosssideblue]

No probs. Best to stay a step ahead of the bailiffs ;)

If such a player becomes available at an acceptable price, I’d be OK with that. Like I said, I have no particular attachment to Sterling. By the same token, I have no problem with him staying if he bucks up and if he signs a new contract for no pay increase.

Gold luck with your house move.

Cheers. It's clear why they say it is one of the most stressful things.

 

[mosssideblue]

When people have an agenda there is no shifting them

If you feel those having a reasoned discussion about a player in a player performance thread is an agenda, I would suggest a dictionary.

 

[ojeme]

Sorry I couldn't reply earlier, in the process of packing up (moving house).
The only comment I would make against your reply is that, it's all well and good to gloss over poor technique when things are going well for the team, but eventually, that will come back to bite you on the arse (as has done). The question is therefore, do we carry that risk or look to mitigate it with a player with far better footballing technique and allow Pep the opportunity to develop positional awareness etc?

Good technique is not all there’s is. We have many players with a better footballing technique than Sterling that produce much less output where it matters the most. My priority would be getting them to be more productive than replacing Sterling. I mean if we are so keen on replacing someone why don’t we get the technically gifted players in the team doing better or replacing them with more productive technically proficient attackers before the conversation about replacing Sterling even arises.

You have to be really good and more than that, consistently very good to score/assist the most of all the players we have had since Pep came here. Why should we even entertain the discussion about replacing him when Sane is gone, we are hoping that Mahrez really really comes good etc etc? Players supposedly with better football technique.

 

[Larry Stranger]

If I may offer a differing perspective, I think our new system might be exposing Sterling's weaknesses quite abit. Weird thing to talk about, considering he didn't play this match, but I was thinking about how our wingers are a little erratic this season (except Foden).

---Stones----Dias----Zinny----
------Cancelo---Rodri--------
-------KdB-------Gundogan----
---Mahrez----Gaby----Sterling---

For eg. this is how we usually set-up on the attack. Our wingers are pushed high and wide, as per usual. However, this season it's much more apparent we are playing without attacking/overlapping FBs, the trade-off for more midfield numbers and defensive stability.

I think the current system requires more technical demands from our wingers to beat a man on their own, because there's one less man to support them on the attack. Way I see it, for the wingers this season it's like "here's the ball, pass it back, put a cross in or you're on your own." To put it more simply, they are made to do more dribbling than off-the-ball running.

Sterling's technical ability has never been his strength. I believe he's at his best when there's players playing close to him and combining with him (Silva, Mendy, etc). Which is why I think players like Foden, who are technically gifted and can consistently beat their man, slot better into the current system, and I would say the proverbial 'eye test' would suggest that.

I'm sure I can explain better, but I'm not a particularly articulate person... I'm not making excuses for/having a go at Raz, but just hoping to get a more educated guess on his dip in form.

I appreciate the write-up, some good points, but I believe your central premise is flawed, when have we ever played with overlapping fullbacks under Pep? We have always overloaded the midfield with the fullbacks.

Every successful season under Pep was due to wide wingers, with Pep either wanting to isolate his wingers 1on1 (which you say is a weakness for Sterling), or either to run in behind from quick 1-2s with David or Kevin feeding the winger on their side to cross it in.

This is actually why alot of posters said they want Sterling back to RW instead of LW (which your argument would be for because that makes him play inside more or to his strengths as you say).

I have personally got to the point that I don't think Sterling plays better on one side or the other (inside or out), but just different, and if he plays poorly its because he played poorly.

Actually Walker is an overlapping fullback. He makes runs on the outside and tries to put in crosses. Cancelo did in a few games last season, but not this season. Mendy is a wide fullback and doesn't invert, but it looks obvious we are better off with inverted fullbacks for defensive stability.

With that the wingers wide will be more on the fringes and yes asked to try to create on their own which can be difficult no matter who the wingers are. You have to remember that in our Centurions season we had similar problems with wide wingers when teams would sit back. We had more than a few last minute winners where the games was tight and in the balance. Both Southampton games, Huddersfield, West Ham. I'm sure I'm missing a few. We had and exceptional winger in Sane and people were asking questions if he could break down a low block.

The reality is that it's not easy to play on the wings when a defence is organized. When you get the ball you have to hold onto it while 1 defender closes you down and there are 2 more inside to help. As to why people saying Sterling is not at his best, people saying Torres was shit today or even when Phil plays wide they say he's not at his best or not totally involved. The wingers need help with good link up midfielders like Silva used to do. There was chance where Torres tried to play a 1,2 with De Bruyne today, but Kev couldn't return a good enough pass. More creativity is needed as to why Cancelo is becoming so important to us.

 

[FlemishDuck]

Actually Walker is an overlapping fullback. He makes runs on the outside and tries to put in crosses. Cancelo did in a few games last season, but not this season. Mendy is a wide fullback and doesn't invert, but it looks obvious we are better off with inverted fullbacks for defensive stability.

With that the wingers wide will be more on the fringes and yes asked to try to create on their own which can be difficult no matter who the wingers are. You have to remember that in our Centurions season we had similar problems with wide wingers when teams would sit back. We had more than a few last minute winners where the games was tight and in the balance. Both Southampton games, Huddersfield, West Ham. I'm sure I'm missing a few. We had and exceptional winger in Sane and people were asking questions if he could break down a low block.

The reality is that it's not easy to play on the wings when a defence is organized. When you get the ball you have to hold onto it while 1 defender closes you down and there are 2 more inside to help. As to why people saying Sterling is not at his best, people saying Torres was shit today or even when Phil plays wide they say he's not at his best or not totally involved. The wingers need help with good link up midfielders like Silva used to do. There was chance where Torres tried to play a 1,2 with De Bruyne today, but Kev couldn't return a good enough pass. More creativity is needed as to why Cancelo is becoming so important to us.

I get the same impression regarding our tactics. And to add to it, afaik one thing that is important for wing play (especially against compact playing teams) is the measure by which you can stretch a defense which kinda depends on the skills of wingers at both ends and the pace by which you can switch flanks. It worked at its best when we had both Sane and Sterling at both sides i remember, it was a bad proposition to need to choose between these 2 running amok on the flank or stretch the defense creating holes.

 

[Clercqs]

Best player in the league in February according to WhoScored. Second most completed take-ons is a lot for someone that can't (and never) dribble.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Best player in the league in February according to WhoScored. Second most completed take-ons is a lot for someone that can't (and never) dribble.

Absolute nonsense.

Some City fans think he is doing ok/well, some think otherwise. No sane City fan thinks he was the POTM at City, never mind in the whole league.

At City alone, the following have had a better month:

Ederson
Cancelo
Stones
Dias
Zinchenko
Rodri
Gundogan
Bernardo
Mahrez
Jesus
Foden

Are people actually earning GBP coming up with this garbage?

 

[sir baconface]

Best player in the league in February according to WhoScored. Second most completed take-ons is a lot for someone that can't (and never) dribble.

Meanwhile, WhoGoverned named Stalin as the most empathetic leader in history.

 

[BillyShears]

Best player in the league in February according to WhoScored. Second most completed take-ons is a lot for someone that can't (and never) dribble.

The usual replies from the same few posters aside, another example of why Raz isn’t half as bad as the haters make out, and why it’s clear those haters love to micro analyse tiny elements of his game.

Mad to think he’ll be one of the greatest Blues ever to have worn the shirt, one of the most successful in our most successful era, and yet there’ll be people who will have spent that whole time damning him with faint praise.

 

[eversince 76]

There’s always a group of fans that either like or dislike a player. And the biggest group had no particular preference.

I like the fact Sterling is our player. He’s a really good attacking player that can play left, right and centre.

We all have seen him play for us over a decent period of time to value how good he is. And knowing this, I think he is much better than he has shown lately. Not slaying him, but this is not the time to big him up either.

Same goes for Mahrez. Despite different topic. He is much better than he often shows.

It simply shows bigging up a player to the level of either Messi or RoFaldo is simply ridiculous. We have not a player like that. Not even KdB. Than again we have a squad as strong as ever seen in football and where every player seems to understand what he has to do in whatever position. That is our real strength.