Raheem Sterling: Shaken, Not Sterred

[Trilly]

He still has some ability, but I think he is actually better on the right going inside.
Too predictable on the left.
Anyways, we have to give him some time. Coming on as a sub when the game has opened up and starting matches are two very different situations.
With good backing from our supporters, I think he will be better already against West Ham.

He’s awful on the right. His left foot is poor so cutting inside doesn’t work and his pace is gone so his classic burst past on the outside doesn’t work anymore.

LW he can still make use of his agility but and keep things ticking over till others return.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

We need the LB to offer the width.

Let Sterling play more narrowly off the wing. He'd be more of a threat around the box rather than having to offer width and take the RB on. Plus it would help with the interchange with Trossard.

It's not ideal but we've got to get the best possible out of him.

However much he's dropped off physically he can perform significantly better then this with a bit of confidence.

 

[razörist]

I have a feeling that Merino as CF for 90 minutes won’t work like it did off the bench.

Yeah plan B is Tierney crossing to Merino and Gabriel in the last 10 minutes

 

[teamsoutheast]

His burst of pace is gone. If we're to try him again I'd almost swap him and Leo around, but then again you need to be making runs as a CF to stretch the backline so i don't know if he'd even have the legs for that.

He does make the runs.He's just not syncing with his fellow team mates.

 

[DanDare]

Something he definitely needs to stop is the standing offside. It's better to receive the ball and have lost the element of surprise but keep possession than being offside and a turnover

 

[Tnegs]

This guy was one of the best wide players in the league for years I really rated when he was at City. I know some players drop off earlier than others Sanchez being a good example of that but he’s still only 30. Surely he has a few good games left in him and seeing as he hasn’t used a single one of them for us yet there has to be something left in the tank for the final stretch.

 

[freeglennhelder2]

C'mon Raheem we are all rooting for you. You can do it son!

 

[Trilly]

Glad to see A-M realising he’s finished but thinking of solutions/hoping he’s going to get it together rather than just pages of insults.

Maybe there’s hope for this forum after all

 

[db10_therza]

Glad to see A-M realising he’s finished but thinking of solutions/hoping he’s going to get it together rather than just pages of insults.

Maybe there’s hope for this forum after all

Don’t get excited it’s only coz they know he won’t be here next season.

If he was actually one of ours there’d be riots on here.

 

[scytheavatar]

This guy was one of the best wide players in the league for years I really rated when he was at City. I know some players drop off earlier than others Sanchez being a good example of that but he’s still only 30. Surely he has a few good games left in him and seeing as he hasn’t used a single one of them for us yet there has to be something left in the tank for the final stretch.

30 years old is not young. Sanchez left us when he was 30 and by then he was irredeemable trash. What you see from Sterling is the same you saw from Rooney, it's not that he become **** overnight it's that he has been in a steady decline since he was 26 year old. Prodigies who play too often as a youngster tend to age faster than those who started their career later.

 

[ASAP Berg]

I feel like he can atleast stop running/dribbling into players for sure

I see lack of rhythm, lack of familiarity with team mates and worst of all lack of confidence from Sterling. Whilst he will never be what he was, these are all fixable and with how bad he is the only way for him is up from here.

That's if he can pull himself out from this despair though. He knows he's playing like crap and it's killing him.

It’s like ok he doesn’t have top speed to beat players but like Trossard doesn’t either. But shifting the ball and putting in dangerous crosses he should still be able to. He just loses the ball so easily

 

[BBF]

It’s like ok he doesn’t have top speed to beat players but like Trossard doesn’t either. But shifting the ball and putting in dangerous crosses he should still be able to. He just loses the ball so easily

He has been doing this for a while. I think part of the reason why Pep put him up top was so that he could focus on being a poacher without taking too many touches.

 

[Sanchez11]

He needs to stop falling over all the time.

 

[grange]

He needs to stop falling over all the time.

Him and Jesus - just diving hoping to get something going for themselves from lack of confidence. It was tough to watch. Jesus seemed to be coming out of that with some goal scoring and then he suffers another serious injury. Sterling just looks physically cooked. Sad all around.

 

[Trilly]

It’s like ok he doesn’t have top speed to beat players but like Trossard doesn’t either. But shifting the ball and putting in dangerous crosses he should still be able to. He just loses the ball so easily

Trossard has had his whole life to make it as a professional footballer despite lacking that speed. I think what we're seeing with Raheem is someone whose game was based on being the fastest on the pitch having to adapt to no longer having that. Even in a league full of athletes he was ridiculously fast.

The sad thing is he's probably still faster than someone like Trossard even with the decline, the confidence and/or technical ability just isn't there so he's struggling to re-invent his game imo.

 

[smashed]

Can we send him home now. Offers nothing but a free turnover for the opposition.
Cannot run, cannot pass, cannot shoot, cannot tackle, cannot dribble. More worryingly, it appears he can no longer stand full stop.
A sad end to a player who scored quite a few for England.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

No way in hell Arteta even want him. We might as well kept Nelson who he could been more useful even tho he injury prone

 

[The Ducking Duck]

No way in hell Arteta even want him.

It was Arteta who decided to sign him after they talked on the phone.

I actually hate this guy, almost as much as i hate Willian.

 

[A_G]

Trossard has had his whole life to make it as a professional footballer despite lacking that speed. I think what we're seeing with Raheem is someone whose game was based on being the fastest on the pitch having to adapt to no longer having that. Even in a league full of athletes he was ridiculously fast.

The sad thing is he's probably still faster than someone like Trossard even with the decline, the confidence and/or technical ability just isn't there so he's struggling to re-invent his game imo.

Why tf don’t we play him as a 10 or false 9? He played there under BDB and looked sensational at times.

 

[Trilly]

Why tf don’t we play him as a 10 or false 9? He played there under BDB and looked sensational at times.

BDB?

It doesn’t matter where he plays while he’s lacking confidence like this tbh.