It's Quiet Thread 15 - Txiki Blinders

[Mad 4 It]

He scored 31 goals in 19/20 so I’m not having he’s had 18 months of bad form. He had a big dip this year and that coincides with City not play a cf for most of it.

I think he’s earnt the chance to come back and prove himself again. If we do sign a striker this summer which seems highly likely then hopefully that kickstarts his previous form for us. I like sterling a lot and if he can get that form back then he’s a huge asset for us.

He played with a centre forward last night and still played poorly… just saying buddy

 

[chesterbells]

Perhaps the regression is compounded because, as you say, two years ago he was virtually unplayable and didn't try to stand his man up?

For whatever reason, he doesn't seemingly trust that directness anymore, so he is giving defenders more opportunity to expose his lack of technique and decision making?

The saying form is temporary, class is permanent, is well known, yet Raheem never gets injured and has already had a career of games most 30 year-olds would be proud to boast of.

I have assumed for a while he could play his way out of this funk, but I am concerned he either needs a fresh start somewhere else, or he has peaked.

The worry is, he exhibits the same issues for England, in terms of general paucity in his play, so it must feel like a delicate balancing act for City at this juncture in his career?

You say he doesn’t seem to trust that directness any more mate, and fully agreed. My own view is that his performances up playing against the likes of Wan Bissaka and Reece James has affected him badly and means he either knows he doesn’t have it like he did, or thinks he doesn’t, either of which is a problem.

 

[Deleted member 81382]

The only way he could move this summer is as a makeweight and it would still have to be to a club of sufficient standing to make him think twice.

I'm not sure outside of the two Madrid clubs, Barca and PSG, Raz would entertain anybody else right now?

And would they even want him?

If Arsenal had won the Europa League and thus had Champions League football, I wonder if he would've considered a move there. A move back to London with a coach that is credited with massively improving his game may have appealed to him. But that's a non-starter now anyway as they didn't win the EL. Similarly, I think Spurs could have been an option if they had Champions League football and for the London factor. That leaves Chelsea as the only PL club I think he'd be interested in but the problem is they're not going to be interested.

 

[willipp]

He played with a centre forward last night and still played poorly… just saying buddy

The whole team were shite and I’m not sure that’s down to sterling.

 

[LongsightM13]

Perhaps the regression is compounded because, as you say, two years ago he was virtually unplayable and didn't try to stand his man up?

For whatever reason, he doesn't seemingly trust that directness anymore, so he is giving defenders more opportunity to expose his lack of technique and decision making?

The saying form is temporary, class is permanent, is well known, yet Raheem never gets injured and has already had a career of games most 30 year-olds would be proud to boast of.

I have assumed for a while he could play his way out of this funk, but I am concerned he either needs a fresh start somewhere else, or he has peaked.

The worry is, he exhibits the same issues for England, in terms of general paucity in his play, so it must feel like a delicate balancing act for City at this juncture in his career?

I made this exact same suggestion in his performance thread earlier this year, when people were discussing his numbers compared to Grealish. I said that while Grealish still appears to have a huge ceiling to improve, especially in a better team, Raz, however, appears to have not only reached the ceiling of his ability but had been bashing his head against it for nearly two years.
He has returned world class numbers consistently without ever having world class technical ability. And that is massively to his credit. It masked his deficiencies and more than justified his selection. In short, it made him worth the trouble.
However, once those numbers dry up then his flaws and his technical deficiencies are brutally exposed and invite scrutiny. And there is then a perfectly reasonable conversation to be had about whether he remains worth the trouble.

 

[Mad 4 It]

If anyone is williing to pay £50m for him we should take it.

£50m in the kitty and frees up substantial wages. Plus removes the dilemma over giving a bumper contract to a player whose performances clearly don't justify the commitment.

If we end up giving him a bumper 5 year deal to prevent him walking for free in 2 years time we will regret it. An underperforming player on massive wages is impossible to shift unless the club pays a big slice of his wages.

If I were Txiki I'd look to move him on now and be prepared for him to walk in 2 years. I would not be offering a bumper 5 year contract.

You can only go off what’s in front of you. Forget about the future you have to make decisions based on the here and now and not what might be. I would sell now with a big thank you for what you have helped the team achieve. Personally I think he’s just bored and needs a change and I think he knows it

 

[Mad 4 It]

The whole team were shite and I’m not sure that’s down to sterling.

World class players do far more even in shit teams bud. Considering he is one of the more experienced players in the England team I would have expected more from him

 

[waspish]

I suspect it could be the latter, certainly the odds are stacked in his favour and he can afford to wait another 12 months and see what the market is like then.

The only way he could move this summer is as a makeweight and it would still have to be to a club of sufficient standing to make him think twice.

Pep playing him in the Champions League final was a difficult one to decipher, as it could be interpreted on many different ways?

Was he looking for the ultimate reaction and redemption from a player who was woefully out of form and hadn't been a consistent starter for weeks, was it a tactical nuance, or was it City needing to keep him sweet to sign an extension, protecting our investment?

I'm not sure outside of the two Madrid clubs, Barca and PSG, Raz would entertain anybody else right now?

And would they even want him?

Pep played him in the final because he believed Sterling could get in behind Chelsea what I don’t get and now with England he never switched him to the other side will foden on the left! Foden far better on the left than Sterling and Grealish for me..

 

[bluenova]

Oh Sterling. :/

To be fair - if the rest of the match was anything to go by, Reece James would have received the ball, headed back down the pitch and ended up passing it to Stones.

 

[southamptonblue]

He tripped himself over his back foot?

He actually had his foot trodden on...but that doesn't suit the anti Sterling agenda ;)
The amount of times a City player has been written off as shit and should be sold on here, before playing well again, you'd think people would trust the manager/club a bit more!