I loved the post match. It showed Gerrrard completely soaked in sweat barely able to catch breath, then cut to Raheem, fresh as a daisy, didn't even look like he had played a match. 
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If we are all only happy when we are really winning in the end, when your race finishes, what life would that be? -
I was in hospital, late 2012 and Raheem's mum was one of the nurses. Lovely lady and was quite rightly proud of her son. Mentioned that she has another son called Kingston,much younger than Raheem but apparently showing even more talent than Raheem at the same age!!Comment
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Originally posted by razortoddy View Post
They all say that. Where's Wayne's younger brother?Was muß, das muß.Comment
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Doesn't Rooney have a brother playing in the MLS?Comment
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WhoScored's Ali Tweedale takes a look at the meteoric rise Liverpool's Raheem Sterling has experienced in the second half of this season.
A Premier League without Raheem Sterling terrorising defences seems like a distant memory, but it was only the first half of this season that he was barely getting into the Liverpool side.
Even with Luis Suarez suspended Sterling was used sparingly, and only when Daniel Sturridge later picked up an injury was he given a run in the first XI. What a rise it has been since, for the winger-turned-No.10, who now seems not only a certainty but a necessity for Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad.
It wasn't until October that Sterling ousted Iago Aspas, and even then he was used as a right wing-back, with significant defensive duties, at home to a struggling Crystal Palace.
His next appearance of any real significance came nearly two months later in a disappointing loss at Hull, in which he was sacrificed as Brendan Rodgers tried in vain to swing the game in Liverpool's favour.
That defeat was undoubtedly the low point in Liverpool's season. Sterling was peripheral, touching the ball just 32 times, and ineffective when he did get it - completing only 13 passes.
In eight appearances up to and including that match, Sterling averaged a WhoScored rating of just 6.56. Few would have then predicted such a meteoric rise for the teenager.
In the days leading up to his 19th birthday, Sterling was fielded on the left at home to Norwich and that proved to be a turning point. He put in his best display in Liverpool colours, picking up a goal and an assist as he registered an 8.87 mark with WhoScored.
He maintained a 94% pass accuracy, played three key passes and completed three successful dribbles as he was left largely to attacking tasks.
A run in the team ensued, and shortly before Christmas he was tearing Kyle Naughton and Tottenham to shreds in Liverpool's 5-0 win at White Hart Lane that led to André Villas-Boas being dismissed.
When Sturridge made his return to action from the bench in the 5-3 win at Stoke in early January, it wasn't Sterling that he replaced. In an extremely short period of time, Sterling had grabbed his opportunity and made himself indispensable to Liverpool.
Following Sturridge's recovery, Rodgers spent a few games searching for a solution to being able to field the multi-talented quartet of Sterling, Sturridge. Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho without sacrificing any of their best assets.
The obvious solution was to go 4-4-2 with Sterling and Coutinho on the wings. Rodgers did this in his very next game - at home to Aston Villa - but this left the team vulnerable on the counter-attack, with the Brazilian coming in field and providing too little in the way of cover for the defensively-questionable Aly Cissokho.
Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard were overrun in the middle, Sterling's attacking influence was compromised, and Liverpool only mustered a 2-2 draw.
Coutinho's adaptation since has been remarkable. He has become a linking, hard-working central midfielder, flanking Gerrard along with Henderson in a 4-3-3 formation, and that has allowed Sterling to play further forward.
When playing in central midfield, only Claudio Yacob (4.6) and Lucas Leiva (4.3) have averaged more tackles per game in the Premier League this season than Coutinho (4.25). That has allowed Sterling to form an incisive front three along with Suarez and Sturridge.
While he previous started on the wing, with Suarez dropping deep to fill the space a No.10 would occupy, Sterling's role has changed in recent weeks, with Brendan Rodgers praising the youngster's tactical intelligence.
At Old Trafford Rodgers predicted that Manchester United's defence, lacking in pace, would drop deep to lessen the space in behind them against Liverpool's speedy attack. That prompted him to select Sterling in a role behind his two strikers where the 19-year-old flourished.
And against Man City on Sunday, Sterling gave a performance to suggest his future possibly lies in the centre, registering his fourth-highest WhoScored rating (8.86).
He is a big game player indeed, with three of his four best performances on WhoScored coming against Arsenal, Tottenham and City.
Not by any stretch a traditional No.10, Sterling is a quick dribbler who often likes space to run into. Suarez and Sturridge stretch the game, allowing the young England hopeful the room to turn and run at the opposition defence or make central runs behind them. As he showed with his opening strike on Sunday, he is also developing a composure in front of goal that was previously lacking.
His improvement has been incredible. Still so young and yet playing in such a key role for the team looking most likely to win the Premier League title, Sterling will play a vital part in the run-in at the top of the table. Only six months ago he could barely get a game. What a rise it has been.
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Weak willed, Wank or do they have a masterplan?
Think we have the answer..Slot!!
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I don't think he is underrated. Everyone I know thinks he's fantastic.Originally posted by Shaggy View PostComment
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He gets relatively little attention from the media etc, which is obviously a good thing in a way. There's been times on MOTD, during this run, when he has been sensational in our featured game and they haven't even mentioned his name in the post-match analysis. It's very unusual for the English press not to latch on to a young English talent and go into hype overdrive. Barkley, Ox and even Januzaj (who is obviously not English) receive much more attention.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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Yeah, same here. I think he's already established himself as a proper player, a level above Barkley or Januzaj, not even a sensation anymore, just a really really good footballer who does not need an article about how surprisingly good he is each week.Originally posted by captainfog View PostComment
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Yeah, maybe. He gets lots of praise on Football Weekly, but that's the only real football related media that I follow.Originally posted by Shaggy View PostComment
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Maybe Rodgers has asked the media not to hype him up too much. It's surprising that he gets no mentions (unless he scores or assists) but I think Rodgers has a great relationship with the media and this is how we can benefit from that.Was muß, das muß.Comment
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I love how smoothly he moves with the ball, he's no "knock it past then run after it" speed merchant. I don't think there can be any doubt that he's a proper talent, something we weren't all sure about when his contract talks were being reported.Never knowingly optimisticComment
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He's getting a new contract now I heard.Was muß, das muß.Comment
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I think Coutinho too will get a new one with a bumper raise.Patience when teased often, transforms into rageComment
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Especially as Madrid are sniffing around.
FSG are cannae lads. Taking just Sturridge, Coutinho, Sterling and Suarez in to account they are £100m up on their investments. Not seen them cash in on a player yet, fingers crossed that continuesLast edited by Norbs; 18-04-14, 08:23 AM.Comment
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