Topic: Raheem Shaquille Sterling

[sinnermichael]

happy 19th!

[Xanderzone]

His best performance in 12 months, in my opinion.

I don't think he's a Gerrard/Fowler/Owen/Mcmananan type talent but I do think he can become a very good winger if we work on him and develop him right in the next couple of years. Looks far better when he plays on the right, and looked a lot stronger today and used his brain more on the pitch.

Keep it up.

[Yorkykopite]

That anxiety to impress will diminish with time as he increases his game time. Really glad he's showing some quality. This thread was pretty embarrassing after the Hull defeat.

He was ok against Hull too. He started badly but finished reasonably well. It was no surprise when he started the next game. He's got a lot to learn - much of it psychological. But you feel that once he begins to command the genuine respect of his teammates and becomes a 'go to' player he will thrive. There's a hell of a lot of natural talent there for sure.

[TSC]

Was great today.  That speed and piece of skill and then the little headed knock down to Suarez was excellent.  More of the same please.

[Caligula?]

He was ok against Hull too. He started badly but finished reasonably well. It was no surprise when he started the next game. He's got a lot to learn - much of it psychological. But you feel that once he begins to command the genuine respect of his teammates and becomes a 'go to' player he will thrive. There's a hell of a lot of natural talent there for sure.

He wasn't ok against Hull. Not even close, but the less said about it the better. He was quite good against West Ham though, but I still think that he's nowhere near ready to be starting games for us.

[DanA]

Inches away from a game verging on the ridiculous. His pace and dribbling in general were superb, put in a defensive shift and his cross to Henderson on the far post a gem. Later the skill to keep the ball moving and knock on to Suarez sublime and then to terrorized Westham with his pace more than once getting through on goal....so close and if he can improve his finishing a bit he's going to be a heck of a player.

[Yorkykopite]

He wasn't ok against Hull. Not even close, but the less said about it the better. He was quite good against West Ham though, but I still think that he's nowhere near ready to be starting games for us.

You underestimate him clearly. Perhaps you always will.

[rickardinho1]

Stop falling down when we're in possession please!

[Caligula?]

You underestimate him clearly. Perhaps you always will.

I'm not underestimating him. He's only 19, and although people made him out to be the next Messi on here during the beginning of last season, he had a significant drop in form and is only just beginning to find his feat again. Needless to say, if Sturridge was fit he wouldn't be starting so I'd wager that Rodgers is thinking the same.

[Coolie High]

Always had intelligence above his years, when it comes to the timing and the runs he makes, and thats going all the way back to the u18's. Its why he is such a talent, because his intelligence coupled with his pace makes a frightening prospect for most defenders. In the next couple years i can see him improving his finishing and becoming a player who could get 20 goals from a wide position, he just needs to become more assured in front of goal.

[Juan Loco]

I'm not underestimating him. He's only 19, and although people made him out to be the next Messi on here during the beginning of last season, he had a significant drop in form and is only just beginning to find his feat again. Needless to say, if Sturridge was fit he wouldn't be starting so I'd wager that Rodgers is thinking the same.

He probably is.

Although you'd wonder if he will be by the time Sturridge returns, because I think you'd be hard pressed say what Henderson does that Sterling doesn't also do in the same role.

[jooneyisdagod]

He played very well I thought. Highlighted both the good and bad aspects of his play but on the whole I think the display was overwhelmingly positive. His finishing was poor and he took on McCartney who seemed turgid in comparison but never really convincingly beat him but he was also excellent with his movement and found himself presented with great opportunities. Got quite a lot to improve on and I still see him as a having the potential to be a decent squad player in the future rather than a world beater but that was a very effective display. Well done to him.

[TSC]

I'm not underestimating him. He's only 19, and although people made him out to be the next Messi on here during the beginning of last season, he had a significant drop in form and is only just beginning to find his feat again. Needless to say, if Sturridge was fit he wouldn't be starting so I'd wager that Rodgers is thinking the same.

Or maybe Rodgers is enjoying the performance  he put in today?

[helmboy_nige]

The margins in football always amaze me. I actually thought sterling had a poor game. He broke often and got into good positions, but often failed with the final ball. On another day he could have had a hat trick.

He is young and is suffering from a good season last year. Ultimately he needs games.

[BazC]

Before the season started, and it was apparent he'd be here (as opposed to going on loan), I said he should be getting around 10 goals this season. The Notts County game - scored a good goal, but then he barely got a look in in the team until fairly recently. Started with trepidation and probably wasn't helped by the general lack of balance in the side against Hull, but took his goal well midweek, and thought he had a great game today. Showed composure (apart from those 2 goal scoring chances he wildly missed!) and by the end of the match he was showing the confidence we saw last year when he was coming up against the fullback. And today I think he showed why I thought he'd get 10 goals this season - he gets in good positions to score - he should have had a hat trick today, but only tested the keeper once with a good shot, with the other 2 lacking any good finish.

But if he's going to get a run in the side now that Sturridge is out for a bit, I'd expect him to score a few and do a decent job of helping replace Sturridge's output.

Hope he carries on developing that confidence - we'll need him on form if he's going to be facing Spurs, City and Chelsea in the upcoming games.

[farawayred]

Just got a call from Shaquille O'Neal. He read this thread and couldnt bieve his eyes- Rabeem'm middle name is Shaquille!... He said that his middle name is Raheem, can you believe it?!... He couldnt spell it right, Rashaun or something, but that's details. The two look alike too.

[woof]

Apart from the couple of sitters he's missed, he was good. Still a lot to learn but he's getting better with each game.

[Ecuared]

He's not quite there yet, but he's a player no doubt. Love the runs he makes in behind the defense, causes a lot of havoc and opens up room for Suarez to drop deep.

Hopefully he can keep improving and put on a little bit of weight, if so we could have some player on our hands in the next couple years.

[Sakho_lfc]

Very good today, glad his confidence is back.

Just a few points about Sterling. He has talent, no doubt, especially his speed. However his weakness to me is his shooting and composure. I personally think he won't improve on his shooting that much in the coming years (personal opinion, not writing him off), which i think is fine. Players like lennon, townsend, young, giggs etc are not great scorers. I feel that sterling doesn't have much power on his shots yet, and probably won't have much in his career. However i do feel with more game time and a loan somewhere, he could improve his composure and that would add a lot to his scoring ability. If he could net 5 - 10 goals a season in a few years time, that would already be good enough in my opinion.

His greatest strength is his speed obviously, he would be a great option to have coming off the bench against tired feet. However I disagree with some posters saying he has great footballing sense and great maturity. (i know he is only 19) I actually think his greatest weakness is his decision making, when to pass, when to shoot. Yesterday he did pretty okay, however in general I still think that is his greatest weakness. Surely a loan or more game time would help though. Again not writing him off, he could be a very good player, however Im not convinced that he will improve drastically over his passing or decision making. He could well turn out to be something like Lennon, which to me is more than good enough at Liverpool.

One last thing, it seems that Sterling is a player that would perform much better at home and struggle with confidence in away games. I would start him more often at Home and for away games I will bring him on as an impact sub, think that would be best for the team and for his development.

[jepovic]

Much better than Moses anyway, which was apparent after Moses came in. Smart kid, at least on-field. His pace and movement are unique in our squad and adds a lot to our somewhat slow and static team. The runs behind the back four forces them to stay low, which gives space for Coutinho and Allen.

[Funky_Gibbons]

If Spurs play their high line next week and if Sterling has his shooting boots on, he could have quite a productive day.

[Yorkykopite]

people made him out to be the next Messi on here during the beginning of last season.

No one did. That's no one.

You're just saying that in order to make your own argument saner.

[The G in Gerrard]

I'm not underestimating him. He's only 19, and although people made him out to be the next Messi on here during the beginning of last season, he had a significant drop in form and is only just beginning to find his feat again.

Who did?

You'd be better off saying the number off people that write him off because he's not consistent and disregard his age.

[TSC]

Who did?

You'd be better off saying the number off people that write him off because he's not consistent and disregard his age.

It's great in here for hyperbole isn't it?  The next Messi indeed.  I've never read any post on any thread which suggests he's the next Messi.

[Severely]

With a bit more composure, could have had a bag full of goals. We forget how young he still is - look at how regular football has helped Suso and there's no reason Sterling can't take advantage of the current injury situation to push on in the same way.

[The G in Gerrard]

It's great in here for hyperbole isn't it?  The next Messi indeed.  I've never read any post on any thread which suggests he's the next Messi.

Jump over to Suarez thread and many other player threads like Gerrard one. Negative digs at players all the time and ridiculous statements made just to back some absurd argument.

[Elzar]

I thought he was great yesterday, just needs to improve his shooting

It's also his birthday today! Weird how he shares a Birthday with Ibe.  Hopefully they Ibe can come in and push Sterling, will make them both brilliant players.

[freddwarf]

I thought he was great yesterday, just needs to improve his shooting

It's also his birthday today! Weird how he shares a Birthday with Ibe.  Hopefully they Ibe can come in and push Sterling, will make them both brilliant players.

Yeah he did well yesterday but we have to remember he was playing with Suarez/Coutinho. Coutinho is thinking a split second faster than most, incredible football brain for someone his age.

Most of the great schemers as they used to be called didn't mature till they were 28/28. This boy has the brain of Jimmy Melia and the instinct of Sir Kenny Dalglish, and he's only a kid.

 You have to remember that the game in the Prem is even faster than it was in Sir Kenny's days so for this kid to be able to see the pass or judge the position a player is in or the position the player will be in in a split second's time is incredible.

With Suarez, well now you see him,now yer don't. What I'm getting at is it's not that difficult to play well with these two on the rampage, for crying out loud even Hendo looks a good player with these two causing mayhem.

If Rodgers adds another free scoring attacking midfielder to the mix in January it's gunner be some squad.

Sterling will get better the more he plays in the side but I agree with most that yesterday was his best so far.

[Mutton Geoff]

It's great in here for hyperbole isn't it?  The next Messi indeed.  I've never read any post on any thread which suggests he's the next Messi.

nearest to that is he is a kid with possibly great potential, if he can get Messi from that well he could spin for the Tories.

[elpistolero7]

Excellent game yesterday. He's still young and kind of chokes in front of goal a bit, and messes up a bit in the final third, but hugely encouraging stuff for a 19 year old.

[Gerrard[LFC]]

wish he bulked up like his middle name
hope he improves with age. Happy B'day

[Hayer]

A few matches under his belt, and he now shows us what he's got. Love his off the ball movement.

19 years old. Remember that.

[Melbred]

Still not good enough 

[Danny_]

Just turned 19 and can only get better.  I just hope he continues improving as he can be a huge player for us in the future.

[DefJack]

Where are all the haters now?

One of the biggest talents in world football, barely 19 and he ripped Spurs apart

[Coolie High]

Where are all the haters now?

One of the biggest talents in world football, barely 19 and he ripped Spurs apart

Incredible performance tonight.

[farawayred]

What a game from him! He still have to work on his mental state in 1-on-1 situations (I don't think it's his finishing), but he tore Spurs a new one today. Against Norwich Suarez was unstoppable, against Spurs I thought Sterling was unstoppable.

[jooneyisdagod]

Where are all the haters now?

One of the biggest talents in world football, barely 19 and he ripped Spurs apart

Absolutely superb performance from him tonight but can we cut out the hyperbole please?

[Melbred]

Pages 10-15 on here..

[Hazell]

Poor young Naughton. Bit cruel tonight on him Raheem.