#7 | Raheem Sterling - 2020/21 Performances

[meltonblue]

Thought he showed a lot of composure and did the right thing.

Sterling a couple of seasons ago would have taken the shot and chances are due to the angle it would have been either saved or blocked.

It led to a goal and the decision he made to cut back increased the likelihood of that happening.

 

[FantasyIreland]

It’s really strange kaz. How anyone can criticise a city player for showing great composure, awareness and unselfishness to set up a city goal that was a thing of beauty needs to see a psychiatrist for ‘compulsive Sterling hatred disorder’

The focus is on his constant hesitation and lack of confidence.The decision not to slot the ball away without the added complication,and possible breakdown,of the extra touches worked out on this occasion as thankfully Jesus was alive enough to get on the end of the pass and guide it past the defender.
He's on 300k a week and is constantly touted as world class,yet he has a weak side/foot and lacks decisiveness and a killer instinct.

Its the fact his standards are supposed to be so high,that some are quick to question that line of thinking when we frequently witness contrary to that.

To end on a positive,i do think his play has looked far better,in terms of directedness and purpose,in the last few games and hopefully that means the Sterling of old is on the way back.

 

[Rolee]

I'm glad he didn't shoot, I don't think it would've worked out on that occasion.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Many pages/posts of absolute bollocks here in the last few days...

It was a great goal. Gabriel Jesus scored, Raheem Sterling assisted. City won 2-0. That's all it will say in the records. End of story

Suffice to say that I'd rather watch a great player like Raheem Sterling scoring and creating for City than watch him doing it for anyone else.

 

[MarsLlama]

But he didn’t fuck it up!!!! This is just bizarre. I really really don’t get this constant Raheem slating from city fans. Yes he’s been out of form and yes he deserved to get dropped, but it seems every tiny thing gets criticised and has happened ever since he left the dippers. I’m not having a go, I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s just me I dunno

I'm not slating Raheem at all. People are so fucking sensitive when it comes to Sterling it's ridiculous. If Mahrez, Torres- actually any of our other forwards apart from Agüero and Foden did that, people wouldn't be so eager to pretend it was all part of Raheem's plan from the very start. It clearly wasn't. It was him recovering from an error.

He should have shot, he didn't shoot. There have been lots of times in his City career where that's been the case. This time he managed to turn it into an assist. Usually he doesn't. If he cut that indecisiveness out of his game and got back to the confident player he was for the last three seasons, he would have shot and scored at that moment and would be on twice as many goals this season. Everyone knows that composure is Sterling's big weakness.

For balance, personally I'd say it's his one and only weakness. Everything else about his game is brilliant. Since 17/18 he's been a world class player and one of the best wingers in the world. If we had a Champions League final tomorrow, I'd want Sterling starting (yes ahead of Foden or Mahrez). I only own one football shirt with a name on the back- it's Sterling #7. People will jump to the conclusion that I must be a Sterling basher but it's just not true.

It's possible to love a player (and I love Raheem as much as any City fan) and still think that they're not in great form.

 

[kaz7]

Yeah, that's what Jesus did. Raheem very nearly fucked it. He recovered it in the end because he's brilliant, but usually when he does that he doesn't recover it. If this was the Champions League final and Neuer or Courtois had managed to make the save, I suspect people would feel very differently.

But he didnt fuck it up

 

[wattle]

The focus is on his constant hesitation and lack of confidence.The decision not to slot the ball away without the added complication,and possible breakdown,of the extra touches worked out on this occasion as thankfully Jesus was alive enough to get on the end of the pass and guide it past the defender.
He's on 300k a week and is constantly touted as world class,yet he has a weak side/foot and lacks decisiveness and a killer instinct.

Its the fact his standards are supposed to be so high,that some are quick to question that line of thinking when we frequently witness contrary to that.

To end on a positive,i do think his play has looked far better,in terms of directedness and purpose,in the last few games and hopefully that means the Sterling of old is on the way back.

Fair do’s. But there are plenty on here who won’t give him any credit for anything good he does. That’s the bit I don’t get

 

[wattle]

I'm not slating Raheem at all. People are so fucking sensitive when it comes to Sterling it's ridiculous. If Mahrez, Torres- actually any of our other forwards apart from Agüero and Foden did that, people wouldn't be so eager to pretend it was all part of Raheem's plan from the very start. It clearly wasn't. It was him recovering from an error.

He should have shot, he didn't shoot. There have been lots of times in his City career where that's been the case. This time he managed to turn it into an assist. Usually he doesn't. If he cut that indecisiveness out of his game and got back to the confident player he was for the last three seasons, he would have shot and scored at that moment and would be on twice as many goals this season. Everyone knows that composure is Sterling's big weakness.

For balance, personally I'd say it's his one and only weakness. Everything else about his game is brilliant. Since 17/18 he's been a world class player and one of the best wingers in the world. If we had a Champions League final tomorrow, I'd want Sterling starting (yes ahead of Foden or Mahrez). I only own one football shirt with a name on the back- it's Sterling #7. People will jump to the conclusion that I must be a Sterling basher but it's just not true.

It's possible to love a player (and I love Raheem as much as any City fan) and still think that they're not in great form.

Fair comment. I am a bit sensitive towards Raheem which probably stems from me fighting a one man battle about him on England duty - I live in the midlands now unfortunately - where I came to blows with some horrible racist twats on a number of occasions. So yeh I might be a bit blinkered towards him more than any other city player. I do admit he should have been dropped when he did, although I’m desperate for him to get back to normal, which I think he might slowly be doing

 

[FantasyIreland]

Fair do’s. But there are plenty on here who won’t give him any credit for anything good he does. That’s the bit I don’t get

Again,i think heightened criticism comes from expectation.We have several players in our squad,first names on the sheet types,the ones you want in the trenches with you.......Sterling should be amongst those names,and yet his contributions and his inconsistency are proving otherwise,there is a shallowness to his play that you dont see with others like Bernardo,Foden and Jesus - all of who'm i suspect are on considerably less favourable contracts.

 

[St.Pauli support]

Raz did perfectly right (thanks to Jesus too).
He's building up his confidence step by step, and it takes time.
Destroying confidence goes much quicker.

All his team mates running over to him for a hug is exactly what he needs. We need more patience and he has to believe in himself.