Radio Raheem

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I think he has been largely awful over the season as a whole. Yes he's had some good moments, as have all of our players at various points of the season, but overall he's basically played like I'd expect any of our young academy prospects to play.

I do hope he will improve, but we spent a lot of money hoping we'd bought more of a player and one that wouldn't need so long to settle. I honestly believe if we'd picked one of our EDS prospects and given him the same game time as Raheem, we'd have seen the same cumulative contribution

Agree with the second paragraph. Who is to say Barker for example, given a free reign, might not have been a revelation. Iheanacho is proof you can step up from the EDS. Some players thrive on playing at a higher level and thus improving their own game. Pains me to say it but Martial at the swamp looks a much better, rounded player than he did at the beginning of the season. Still not the finished article by any means but would we have given him the game time he has had if he were at our academy?

Martial has had a couple of decent showings lately I believe, the last time I watched them which was a few weeks back he was completely anonymous.

[nottsblue]

I think he has been largely awful over the season as a whole. Yes he's had some good moments, as have all of our players at various points of the season, but overall he's basically played like I'd expect any of our young academy prospects to play.

I do hope he will improve, but we spent a lot of money hoping we'd bought more of a player and one that wouldn't need so long to settle. I honestly believe if we'd picked one of our EDS prospects and given him the same game time as Raheem, we'd have seen the same cumulative contribution

Agree with the second paragraph. Who is to say Barker for example, given a free reign, might not have been a revelation. Iheanacho is proof you can step up from the EDS. Some players thrive on playing at a higher level and thus improving their own game. Pains me to say it but Martial at the swamp looks a much better, rounded player than he did at the beginning of the season. Still not the finished article by any means but would we have given him the game time he has had if he were at our academy?

Martial has had a couple of decent showings lately I believe, the last time I watched them which was a few weeks back he was completely anonymous.

But the point was he has been given the chance. There are reasons for that, not least his price tag, but he has probably had more game time Sterling

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I think he has been largely awful over the season as a whole. Yes he's had some good moments, as have all of our players at various points of the season, but overall he's basically played like I'd expect any of our young academy prospects to play.

I do hope he will improve, but we spent a lot of money hoping we'd bought more of a player and one that wouldn't need so long to settle. I honestly believe if we'd picked one of our EDS prospects and given him the same game time as Raheem, we'd have seen the same cumulative contribution

Agree with the second paragraph. Who is to say Barker for example, given a free reign, might not have been a revelation. Iheanacho is proof you can step up from the EDS. Some players thrive on playing at a higher level and thus improving their own game. Pains me to say it but Martial at the swamp looks a much better, rounded player than he did at the beginning of the season. Still not the finished article by any means but would we have given him the game time he has had if he were at our academy?

Martial has had a couple of decent showings lately I believe, the last time I watched them which was a few weeks back he was completely anonymous.

But the point was he has been given the chance. There are reasons for that, not least his price tag, but he has probably had more game time Sterling

Sterling 2,366 minutes played for City 10 goals and 9 assists.

Martial 2,399 minutes played for Rags 9 goals and 6 assists.

[nottsblue]

I think he has been largely awful over the season as a whole. Yes he's had some good moments, as have all of our players at various points of the season, but overall he's basically played like I'd expect any of our young academy prospects to play.

I do hope he will improve, but we spent a lot of money hoping we'd bought more of a player and one that wouldn't need so long to settle. I honestly believe if we'd picked one of our EDS prospects and given him the same game time as Raheem, we'd have seen the same cumulative contribution

Agree with the second paragraph. Who is to say Barker for example, given a free reign, might not have been a revelation. Iheanacho is proof you can step up from the EDS. Some players thrive on playing at a higher level and thus improving their own game. Pains me to say it but Martial at the swamp looks a much better, rounded player than he did at the beginning of the season. Still not the finished article by any means but would we have given him the game time he has had if he were at our academy?

Martial has had a couple of decent showings lately I believe, the last time I watched them which was a few weeks back he was completely anonymous.

But the point was he has been given the chance. There are reasons for that, not least his price tag, but he has probably had more game time Sterling

Sterling 2,366 minutes played for City 10 goals and 9 assists.

Martial 2,399 minutes played for Rags 9 goals and 6 assists.

Ok, fair enough. Not much in it then. As it goes, I like Sterling but next season he needs to improve his all round game and I'd like to see him run at defenders more.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

[gmercer1]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

Is very frustrating as when he decides to take them on he is good at it. Take the 2nd leg against Everton, poor first half, switched to the left second half and started ripping Stones a new arse hole. I just don't understand when it comes to the next game he just stops trying to.
If I was Pellers I would tell him to run at the defender every time he gets the ball, if he loses fine,,,,,just keep going and he will get success.

[Blue Since 76]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

Is very frustrating as when he decides to take them on he is good at it. Take the 2nd leg against Everton, poor first half, switched to the left second half and started ripping Stones a new arse hole. I just don't understand when it comes to the next game he just stops trying to.
If I was Pellers I would tell him to run at the defender every time he gets the ball, if he loses fine,,,,,just keep going and he will get success.

The same applies to Navas though - loads of pace, so commit the defender. You only need to get past him once, so it's in the attackers favour. That neither do it, especially Sterling since he did it at Liverpool suggests that it's being coached out of him and that's why I think he'll be a different player next season

[carl_feedthegoat]

I think he has been largely awful over the season as a whole. Yes he's had some good moments, as have all of our players at various points of the season, but overall he's basically played like I'd expect any of our young academy prospects to play.

I do hope he will improve, but we spent a lot of money hoping we'd bought more of a player and one that wouldn't need so long to settle. I honestly believe if we'd picked one of our EDS prospects and given him the same game time as Raheem, we'd have seen the same cumulative contribution

Agree with the second paragraph. Who is to say Barker for example, given a free reign, might not have been a revelation. Iheanacho is proof you can step up from the EDS. Some players thrive on playing at a higher level and thus improving their own game. Pains me to say it but Martial at the swamp looks a much better, rounded player than he did at the beginning of the season. Still not the finished article by any means but would we have given him the game time he has had if he were at our academy?

Martial has had a couple of decent showings lately I believe, the last time I watched them which was a few weeks back he was completely anonymous.

But the point was he has been given the chance. There are reasons for that, not least his price tag, but he has probably had more game time Sterling

Sterling 2,366 minutes played for City 10 goals and 9 assists.

Martial 2,399 minutes played for Rags 9 goals and 6 assists.

In fairness , Martial has muppets all around him and Sterling does not (Maybe I'll change that stance of mine after yesterday's debacle)
Martial can also get pass people a lot easier than Sterling can ..................maybe PEP can coach him properly to get him to that next level....as Pellegrini has made no fuckign difference whatsoever to Sterlings game.

[Mase]

In fairness , Martial has muppets all around him and Sterling does not (Maybe I'll change that stance of mine after yesterday's debacle)
Martial can also get pass people a lot easier than Sterling can ..................maybe PEP can coach him properly to get him to that next level....as Pellegrini has made no fuckign difference whatsoever to Sterlings game.

Yeh but Martial is the new Pele.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

He doesn't have muppets all around him Carl, I know we all like to believe that but it really isn't the case. A good manager would have that attack playing much better.

[Blue Since 76]

In fairness , Martial has muppets all around him and Sterling does not (Maybe I'll change that stance of mine after yesterday's debacle)
Martial can also get pass people a lot easier than Sterling can ..................maybe PEP can coach him properly to get him to that next level....as Pellegrini has made no fuckign difference whatsoever to Sterlings game.

That's not fair, Sterling is much worse under Pellegrini's coaching. Imagine what he could do with him given another season?

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

Is very frustrating as when he decides to take them on he is good at it. Take the 2nd leg against Everton, poor first half, switched to the left second half and started ripping Stones a new arse hole. I just don't understand when it comes to the next game he just stops trying to.
If I was Pellers I would tell him to run at the defender every time he gets the ball, if he loses fine,,,,,just keep going and he will get success.

The same applies to Navas though - loads of pace, so commit the defender. You only need to get past him once, so it's in the attackers favour. That neither do it, especially Sterling since he did it at Liverpool suggests that it's being coached out of him and that's why I think he'll be a different player next season

Agree it does seem like it's being coached out of him. He was right up there with Hazard for the last couple of seasons for successful take ons.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

- Raheem Sterling has had a hand in five goals in his last four Champions League games (three goals, two assists)

[mr_nool]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

Is very frustrating as when he decides to take them on he is good at it. Take the 2nd leg against Everton, poor first half, switched to the left second half and started ripping Stones a new arse hole. I just don't understand when it comes to the next game he just stops trying to.
If I was Pellers I would tell him to run at the defender every time he gets the ball, if he loses fine,,,,,just keep going and he will get success.

The same applies to Navas though - loads of pace, so commit the defender. You only need to get past him once, so it's in the attackers favour. That neither do it, especially Sterling since he did it at Liverpool suggests that it's being coached out of him and that's why I think he'll be a different player next season

Agree it does seem like it's being coached out of him. He was right up there with Hazard for the last couple of seasons for successful take ons.

I do think there is a small element of it being coached out of him, in the sense that we're very much about keeping possession. it's OK to gamble every now and then and to take your man on, but if you try and fail too often you will get grief from the gaffer as well as from Yaya, Silva, Aguero, and the other big boys.

However, I also think it's down to teams sitting deeper when playing us than when playing Liverpool. If you're already in height with the penalty box when you get the ball, there isn't too much room to maneuver. if the defender steers you wide, the best you can hope for is making it to the touch line and get a cross in.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

I agree Notts about him taking defenders on more, it does my head in that he waits for Kolarov, just for him to kick the ball into a defenders ankles.

Is very frustrating as when he decides to take them on he is good at it. Take the 2nd leg against Everton, poor first half, switched to the left second half and started ripping Stones a new arse hole. I just don't understand when it comes to the next game he just stops trying to.
If I was Pellers I would tell him to run at the defender every time he gets the ball, if he loses fine,,,,,just keep going and he will get success.

The same applies to Navas though - loads of pace, so commit the defender. You only need to get past him once, so it's in the attackers favour. That neither do it, especially Sterling since he did it at Liverpool suggests that it's being coached out of him and that's why I think he'll be a different player next season

Agree it does seem like it's being coached out of him. He was right up there with Hazard for the last couple of seasons for successful take ons.

I do think there is a small element of it being coached out of him, in the sense that we're very much about keeping possession. it's OK to gamble every now and then and to take your man on, but if you try and fail too often you will get grief from the gaffer as well as from Yaya, Silva, Aguero, and the other big boys.

However, I also think it's down to teams sitting deeper when playing us than when playing Liverpool. If you're already in height with the penalty box when you get the ball, there isn't too much room to maneuver. if the defender steers you wide, the best you can hope for is making it to the touch line and get a cross in.

There was one point in the first half last night when he waited for what seemed like ages for Clichy to provide the overlap, when he did Sterling got the weight of pass all wrong, I thought oh here we go again but from that moment on it seemed like something clicked with him and he started taking the full back on more with great success.

He did go down too easily that time when he nutmegged their defender, he was looking for it but I still think it should've been a penalty. He needs telling though to try stay on his feet more.

The ball he stood up for Yaya's missed header was top drawer, this lad has quality in abundance, it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him on a consistent basis.

[Wonderwall]

There was one point in the first half last night when he waited for what seemed like ages for Clichy to provide the overlap, when he did Sterling got the weight of pass all wrong, I thought oh here we go again but from that moment on it seemed like something clicked with him and he started taking the full back on more with great success.

He did go down too easily that time when he nutmegged their defender, he was looking for it but I still think it should've been a penalty. He needs telling though to try stay on his feet more.

The ball he stood up for Yaya's missed header was top drawer, this lad has quality in abundance, it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him on a consistent basis.

I would imagine you would have gone Batshit crazy if a penalty that soft was given against us. Raheem wasn't a penalty but the silva one was and the fernandinho pen was something out of the WWE playbook.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

There was one point in the first half last night when he waited for what seemed like ages for Clichy to provide the overlap, when he did Sterling got the weight of pass all wrong, I thought oh here we go again but from that moment on it seemed like something clicked with him and he started taking the full back on more with great success.

He did go down too easily that time when he nutmegged their defender, he was looking for it but I still think it should've been a penalty. He needs telling though to try stay on his feet more.

The ball he stood up for Yaya's missed header was top drawer, this lad has quality in abundance, it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him on a consistent basis.

I would imagine you would have gone Batshit crazy if a penalty that soft was given against us. Raheem wasn't a penalty but the silva one was and the fernandinho pen was something out of the WWE playbook.

Don't know mate, if our defender hung his leg like that after being done then I'd say he's asking for trouble.

[Wonderwall]

There was one point in the first half last night when he waited for what seemed like ages for Clichy to provide the overlap, when he did Sterling got the weight of pass all wrong, I thought oh here we go again but from that moment on it seemed like something clicked with him and he started taking the full back on more with great success.

He did go down too easily that time when he nutmegged their defender, he was looking for it but I still think it should've been a penalty. He needs telling though to try stay on his feet more.

The ball he stood up for Yaya's missed header was top drawer, this lad has quality in abundance, it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him on a consistent basis.

I would imagine you would have gone Batshit crazy if a penalty that soft was given against us. Raheem wasn't a penalty but the silva one was and the fernandinho pen was something out of the WWE playbook.

Don't know mate, if our defender hung his leg like that after being done then I'd say he's asking for trouble.

He didn't hang it out though did he. Sterling decided to use his leg when it was easier to carry on towards goal

[Foreverinbluedreams]

There was one point in the first half last night when he waited for what seemed like ages for Clichy to provide the overlap, when he did Sterling got the weight of pass all wrong, I thought oh here we go again but from that moment on it seemed like something clicked with him and he started taking the full back on more with great success.

He did go down too easily that time when he nutmegged their defender, he was looking for it but I still think it should've been a penalty. He needs telling though to try stay on his feet more.

The ball he stood up for Yaya's missed header was top drawer, this lad has quality in abundance, it's just a matter of coaxing it out of him on a consistent basis.

I would imagine you would have gone Batshit crazy if a penalty that soft was given against us. Raheem wasn't a penalty but the silva one was and the fernandinho pen was something out of the WWE playbook.

Don't know mate, if our defender hung his leg like that after being done then I'd say he's asking for trouble.

He didn't hang it out though did he. Sterling decided to use his leg when it was easier to carry on towards goal

He did hang it out yes. Look, like I've said he should be looking to stay on his feet and not trying to buy decisions but I've seen them given a lot when the attacker takes the opportunity to use the defender's hanging leg to make contact, as much as it's wrong for attackers to try to buy the decision it's naive from the defender to present the opportunity.

[PrezIke]

Dude's been killing it in CL for us when it counts. His passing/crossing underrated as well. Two way player to coin a basketball term, that has saved us on more than a few occasions. If he can improve his finishing and consistency he will become a massive player for us.

Oddly enough, I think by KDB and Navas being out it's helping his development by playing more regularly.