Raheem Sterling

[Mase]

He rarely takes on a player anymore and checks back more often than not,

That’s because he’s been moved to the left. Sterling on the right and Sanè on the left was great in the centurions season. Not sure why it needed to change

[carl_feedthegoat]

He rarely takes on a player anymore and checks back more often than not,

That’s because he’s been moved to the left. Sterling on the right and Sanè on the left was great in the centurions season. Not sure why it needed to change

He changed it for the same reason he puts performing players on the bench in the very next game - he just likes to fix what isn't broken.

[FA cup winners 2006]

He rarely takes on a player anymore and checks back more often than not,

That’s because he’s been moved to the left. Sterling on the right and Sanè on the left was great in the centurions season. Not sure why it needed to change

For a team that wants to be challenging for the top honours, we play where our front 3 is interchangeable. Sterling has profited by coming in off the left but he has been poor overall. He just doesn't have the quality that we need in that set up, especially in big games.

If we go with a solo number 9 like Lewandowski, kane, Haaland etc. and build the team around them with goals also coming from midfield with KDB and Bernado, then fine, the wingers dont have the goal burden but they do need to be able to beat a man and put in quality crosses. Sterling is not this man.

To think we could have had Sancho and Sane in this team instead of Sterling makes it all the worse

[PeterParker]

Bournemouth and Southampton and that is about it. Ok, to be fair I will add the penner vs Chelsea in the league cup final and that is about it on how he decided games for us. In what? 5 years?
Finally this season he had his first decent game versus Liverpool. When there was no crowd and no one too boo/shout.
I am waiting for him to show up versus United also. Maybe 2022 will be a good year for him to do that.

Sorry, but Theo Walcott or Agbonlahor would get the same number of goals here when you have those names behind you that provide you with tap ins.

When you miss one like that, it's bad luck, when you have a record on that, it means you are shit.

That said, we need our upfront trio to be deadly like those fuckers from Liverpool. When one is having a mare, the other two step up.
We have only one deadly player upfront and he is approaching retirement.

[zuricity]

There's no excusing that, it was horrendously shit but I'm not going to base my opinion of his worth on one incident

There are at least 10 more like that, mate.
As FA cup winners 2006 pointed out, simple, he has no football brain.
He doesn't the balls to be world class and the mentality. We are kidding ourselves and hope he might be more than a squad player, but the facts are there. More than Half of the finishing thread is about him.

I said it. The worst thing in the world is to have a scenarios where you have a chance to win it all, but Raheem must score it.

So you're just going to ignore everything else and base your opinion solely on his finishing?

What's Raheem ability? Except speed.
My opinion is based on his overall capacity. In many moments he has the ball he looks like a deer in front of multiple headlights in a crowded highway.

He is a far better player than just being a pace merchant like Theo Walcott or Agbonlahor. Why do you think that someone like Mahrez rarely misses sitters? Because he is never in that sort of position in the first place. Have you forgotten the late winners he got against Bournemouth, Southampton and the super goals he scored against the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle, Shakhtar?

Let's be honest. Every player has flaws. Apart from the truly best of the best like Messi, most players will have some deficiency in their games. Take Salah for example, he is extraordinarily selfish and wastes around 3-4 chances every game as well, often shooting from ridiculous positions. Do you think anyone calls him just a pace merchant? Or firmino who literally scored 1 goal at Klanfield all season? When we had Dzeko, we mocked him for not being clinical as well as being a donkey on the ball.

Sterling has good movement and actually gets into good positions unlike many players who are invisible. He works hard, presses the ball well and is not selfish. He is rarely injured. He is a good influence off the pitch. Yes he has a flaw - that he is wasteful and streaky. The real solution is to pair him with someone clinical like Aguero, Haland, Lewandowski and a goalscoring right winger. Goals should come from all 3 of our front liners so if one has a bad game the other 2 can step up. Unfortunately, Jesus is not that player it seems. Mahrez also doesn't contribute enough goals either.

I would have thought that the real solution is for him to stay behind in training and work on his finishing and ball control.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

[dazby]

Yes he has the ability to get into the right position, but;

He is one of the worst finishers I have ever seen, not a convincing finisher, but effective
He bottles it big time, nah
He rarely takes on a player anymore and checks back more often than not, he did it all night
He does not hold the ball up, he did it all night
He can't play in tight spaces, yeah he can
He can't bring in other players, yeah he did
He doesn't chase back and close down, yeah he does.

So other than been a speed merchant what else is he good at. Been in the right place is a skill but fuck all use if you can't finish. He gets it played on a plate and Christy Fucking Brown would score goals in this team if giving the game time Sterling is given (although Christy might be caught offside more often)

Do you actually watch the games or just the highlights?

[FA cup winners 2006]

Yes he has the ability to get into the right position, but;

He is one of the worst finishers I have ever seen, not a convincing finisher, but effective
He bottles it big time, nah
He rarely takes on a player anymore and checks back more often than not, he did it all night
He does not hold the ball up, he did it all night
He can't play in tight spaces, yeah he can
He can't bring in other players, yeah he did
He doesn't chase back and close down, yeah he does.

So other than been a speed merchant what else is he good at. Been in the right place is a skill but fuck all use if you can't finish. He gets it played on a plate and Christy Fucking Brown would score goals in this team if giving the game time Sterling is given (although Christy might be caught offside more often)

Do you actually watch the games or just the highlights?

Why is this always trotted out when someone is critical of a player or has a different opinion than someone else. FYI, yes I watch the games and have an interest so try and watch all aspects of the game, positioning, runs made, spaces created etc.

My opinion on Sterling is based on this. Go back to pre xmas when he was at his worst, everyone on here was calling him out on it but Pep kept playing him and Sterling obviously picked up a few goals and assists but was mainly shit in those games.

Now you have some people just throwing out stats to show how good Sterling is. It is these people who I wonder if they actually watch the games or is it just the highlights for them because In general team play this year, Sterling has been shit and certainly not deserving of being our 1st/2nd best paid player in our club.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Stats are posted to give a bit of perspective when people are talking absolute shit.

[Tokyo Blue]

Stats are posted to give a bit of perspective when people are talking absolute shit.

Indeed. 30 goals in all competitions this season and Sterling is "shit".

Mind you, this particular individual has been carrying out a personal pogrom against Raheem Sterling for quite some time. It was prodigiously tedious when it started out and has been going downhill since.

[PeterParker]

Stats are posted to give a bit of perspective when people are talking absolute shit.

Also Afonso Alves scored 7 in a game and was absolute shite.

Tell me, do the stats justify his brainfarts? That he is a 300k a week player and has a magnificent record with Cardiff, Huddersfield or Burnley? Or that his finishing record is an absolute joke?

Tell you what, get Alain Sait Maximim or how the fuck is he called, get him as much games as Sterling has, with the services he gets from everyone around and I will guarantee he will be close to those stats.

Seriously, you need to stop with this stat nonsense and watch the whole picture around Sterling.

Here is a compilation of his sitters and this is only at Scouse. With us those doubled or trippled.

Watch on youtube.com

[Clowncrete]

Stats are posted to give a bit of perspective when people are talking absolute shit.

Also Afonso Alves scored 7 in a game and was absolute shite.

Tell me, do the stats justify his brainfarts? That he is a 300k a week player and has a magnificent record with Cardiff, Huddersfield or Burnley? Or that his finishing record is an absolute joke?

Tell you what, get Alain Sait Maximim or how the fuck is he called, get him as much games as Sterling has, with the services he gets from everyone around and I will guarantee he will be close to those stats.

Seriously, you need to stop with this stat nonsense and watch the whole picture around Sterling.

Here is a compilation of his sitters and this is only at Scouse. With us those doubled or trippled.

Watch on youtube.com

If you are going to post videos how about one not uploaded by a scouse fan with an axe to grind?

Watch on youtube.com

[PeterParker]

Stats are posted to give a bit of perspective when people are talking absolute shit.

Also Afonso Alves scored 7 in a game and was absolute shite.

Tell me, do the stats justify his brainfarts? That he is a 300k a week player and has a magnificent record with Cardiff, Huddersfield or Burnley? Or that his finishing record is an absolute joke?

Tell you what, get Alain Sait Maximim or how the fuck is he called, get him as much games as Sterling has, with the services he gets from everyone around and I will guarantee he will be close to those stats.

Seriously, you need to stop with this stat nonsense and watch the whole picture around Sterling.

Here is a compilation of his sitters and this is only at Scouse. With us those doubled or trippled.

Watch on youtube.com

If you are going to post videos how about one not uploaded by a scouse fan with an axe to grind?

Watch on youtube.com

I am not posting his best off, I am posting he has a finishing problem when it comes to sitters.

[Clowncrete]

I would have thought that the real solution is for him to stay behind in training and work on his finishing and ball control.

How many players become more clinical after 25? Or improve their ball control? He is a decent finisher who has a 100(!) goals for us and is getting 25-30 goals per season for 3 years now despite being a wing-forward and not the main striker. We have to accept this fact that he will probably never be peak Aguero/Messi level clinical. That doesn't mean he is a pace merchant like a couple of posters are insinuating.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Reports before about him staying back after training to practice shooting.

PP, I never suggested he doesn't have an issue with finishing, it's the other bollox people are talking.

And why do I need to stop with stats? They are relevant to any discussion about a player, ignoring them is stupid.

I can't believe we're here again arguing his worth after he made you all eat your words for two years running.

He was on the shortlist for City player of the year so plenty of City fans think he's done OK, perhaps it's his detractors that need to open their eyes and see who carries the threat to the opposition when we play.

Fucking Saint Maximin, ffs.

[sheblue]

Wouldn't sell him unless there was a huge offer, which wont happen in this climate.
He is not at the very top level, hes not a messi, zidane etc we always knew that. If I remember correctly we paid 49m for him, was it money well spent. I think overall it was.

[PeterParker]

Reports before about him staying back after training to practice shooting.

PP, I never suggested he doesn't have an issue with finishing, it's the other bollox people are talking.

And why do I need to stop with stats? They are relevant to any discussion about a player, ignoring them is stupid.

I can't believe we're here again arguing his worth after he made you all eat your words for two years running.

He was on the shortlist for City player of the year so plenty of City fans think he's done OK, perhaps it's his detractors that need to open their eyes and see who carries the threat to the opposition when we play.

Fucking Saint Maximin, ffs.

But those aren't bollox that is the issue. When you have a good record (no one is saying 30 goals is nothing), but you are absent in 19 out of 20 big games versus United and Liverpool, then you start to think if he actually is that good.
We got him in 2015, right? 5 years, one excellent season 2017-2018 (my opinion based on how he decided things that season), the rest he was at best ok.

My whole point around him is simple: We can't step up our level with him. He can't do it. A squad player, yeah, a world beater, never.
It's not like I want him on purpose to fail, no City fan wants that, but we are at a level when I want world beaters, not world beaters versus smaller teams. So we either learn things or we keep on doing the same, but accept it can't get any better.

It's that simple for me.

[carl_feedthegoat]

Wouldn't sell him unless there was a huge offer, which wont happen in this climate.
He is not at the very top level, hes not a messi, zidane etc we always knew that. If I remember correctly we paid 49m for him, was it money well spent. I think overall it was.

For sure it was money well spent - world class players win CL quarter final ,semi final and final matches and Jesus and Sterling are defiantly Not the players to win you those games .

We only have Aguero and KDB in that bracket - we just have to accept Sterling as he is , he does my fucking head in with his bottling the big chances in big fucking matches but ,after careful consideration, I would not sell him unless we get offered stupid money.

[stevefromdonny]

Wouldn't sell him unless there was a huge offer, which wont happen in this climate.
He is not at the very top level, hes not a messi, zidane etc we always knew that. If I remember correctly we paid 49m for him, was it money well spent. I think overall it was.

it was about 40 mil with add ons, 1 of which was to win champs league in 5 years so now we can win it and not pay them cunts any more money

[sheblue]

Wouldn't sell him unless there was a huge offer, which wont happen in this climate.
He is not at the very top level, hes not a messi, zidane etc we always knew that. If I remember correctly we paid 49m for him, was it money well spent. I think overall it was.

it was about 40 mil with add ons, 1 of which was to win champs league in 5 years so now we can win it and not pay them cunts any more money

Every cloud......