Just want to clarify my stance of Suso and Sterling.
For the past half a dozen games, perhaps as many as 10, Sterling has struggled. He's shown little glimpses of what he's capable of here and there, but all too often he's been too easily pushed out wide or he has run into defenders, who to be fair, are doubling and tripling up on him, or he's not delievered that final ball.
Suso in the last game, sure he wasn't awesome or anything, but he was involved a lot, and his passing, whilst not 'Gerrardesque', was tidy, and found its target more often than not. He takes up dangerous positions, and only a lack of experience in front of goal, has prevented him from scoring a few when he's played. Suso also works his socks off for the team (something Sterling does every game as well to be fair), and when I said Suso had done more in that 70 minute spell than Sterling has done for the last 6 games, I meant it, but of course I didn't mean it 'literally'. It's unfair to compare them anyway, because they are two different players and teams go about nullifying them differently (ie: they are out to nullify Sterling but not so much Suso - so yes, Sterling is going to be up against a lot more physical attention). I believe Suso is going to be world class in a few years, so I was wondering why I can't just sit back, and say the same about Sterling.
My problem with Sterling is that I compare him to John Barnes, and I hold my hands up here and admit that's a really stupid thing to do, and it's also very unfair on Raheem (though the fact we even consider him in the same light as Barnsey should tell us something). I forget sometimes the boy has only just turned 18 years of age (18 years? I've got cysts older than him). I know it is wrong and I know I shouldn't, but I cannot help but compare him to one of LFC's greatest ever players, and I do it without thinking, it's automatic - a knee jerking. So when I see Sterling waltz into dead ends, get pushed out wide, and fail to deliver that final ball, the result is frustration, and I tend to lash out, because I want him to do what Barnsey did - frigging destroy the opposition! But Barnsey was about 6 years older and therefore 6 years more experienced than Sterling. Perhaps I need to ask myself how good was Barnes when he was 18?
Also, the Gaffer dropping Sterling for 70 minutes was a masterstroke and told me Sterling is in good hands. Burn out in young players is a problem, and I think it happens mentally more than physically, and though Sterling looks to be one tough little Hombre (and he's as brave as they come), he was starting to look jaded. Perhaps he thought he'd 'arrived' at Anfield and was assured a starting place, perhaps he'd played too many Premiership games too soon, I'm guessing it's a mix of the two with the major issue being too many games. But after dropping him, when he did come on for the final 20 minutes, he definitely looked a yard sharper and two yards faster. In fact, when he was running at the Fulham defenders, their body language told me they were terrified of him. So well done Gaffer for knowing what to do, and for playing your cards so well. Showed real acumen, and it's another example why I think we'll be laughing next season - if he's backed. Why, even Joe Allen looked a yard quicker (or is that wishful thinking?)
So for me, I'm going to have a lot more patience with Sterling. He's just shown loyalty by signing a new 5 year contract, at the end of which, he'd have been here 6 years, and he will still be a year younger than John Barnes was when he joined us - and we all know what happened next.
So sorry Mr Sterling - over to you young man.
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