Player Topic: Raheem Sterling (2015/16)

[mosssideblue]

Spot on. Given he is right-footed and doesn't appear to be great with the left, you would think he is better down the right wing. KDB is clearly better on the left, so makes a lot of sense for Raheem to play down the right.

Irrespective of your wishes, he wont displace Navas from the right. And, IMO, quite rightly so.

 

[mosssideblue]

Get your point about balance that Navas brings more than Sterling. However, in measuring Sterling's value to the team, we need to also factor in his contributions to the team when he's played more centrally. Pity he's not
exactly done good enough where he's needed the most (out wide). In fact there
seems to be a kinda dilemma where to
play certain players when everyone is
back from injury. Silva and Aguero are
the automatic choice combo in the
middle with Ihenacho seriously knocking
on the door. That leaves us with the trio of Navas, KDB and Raheem vying for 2 spots. KDB on the left makes sense while Navas, despite his shortcommings, has shown some promise on the right. On the other hand we have seen sterling
underperfom on the left and then turn to
beast mode a couple of times he's played behind the striker (an already overcrowded position). Accommodating Sterling is going to be a really tough one, when every body is fit and I predict that Pellegrini, being Pellegrini, would move him to a second striker role with Bony and Kelechi as backups to the strikers and maintain Silva and KDB as wide men, which of course I don't wanna see except we operate a dynamic system where on the ball, Silva plays wide but off the ball, Sterling goes wide and Silva comes in.

I agreed with all your points bar using him as a second striker. When everyone is fit, I feel Raheem will be rested more. With neigh on 60 games a season to play and injuries / rotation to accommodate, he will get his fair share of games.

 

[ojeme]

Irrespective of your wishes, he wont displace Navas from the right. And, IMO, quite rightly so.

If we're honest with ourselves, based on performances so far he's not going to displace Navas atm.

 

[shemnel]

NOT happy with Kolarov at the end there!

 

[RandomJ]

NOT happy with Kolarov at the end there!

I wouldn't be. He won the penalty and the main taker was off the pitch so it was his to take. Kolarov basically bullying a younger player to try and get a goal.

 

[pudge]

Every right to be fucked off with not getting to take the penalty, especially as Bony robbed him of a golden chance minutes earlier by being a greedy bastid.

 

[leighton]

Done well in the time he got. Unlucky not to have taken the penalty but thats football we got the result and won. I think we will see more out of Sterling in time his confidence is starting to grow and will be a key player for us.

 

[stablemcfc]

Good impact when he came on. Not sure he can complain about the penalty really though, fair enough to be annoyed but there's got to be a pecking order pre-sorted about who's the penalty takers. Would suggest Kolarov shouldn't be on that list though judging by the last few he's taken..

 

[plongo]

AKIAC

 

[pudge]

When the player who won his second penalty of the day and your striker argue over who should take it, obviously your wank left back who couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo has to take it.