Last season wasn’t easy for Liverpool fans. Brendan Rodger’s first year in charge was full of turmoil, controversy and disappointment.
As the Reds failed to get the results they needed on an all too regular basis, the club plummeted down the table. There was plenty of talk about Liverpool not being a force any more. The club was being treated as a laughing stock and Rodgers was failing to turn things around.
Then there was Luis Suarez. Whilst he was Liverpool’s best player throughout the entirety of last year (indeed, he was head and shoulders above all others), he also managed to cause the most trouble. Whether he was stirring up racial tension, or physically assaulting his fellow professionals with his nashers, Suarez was never far away from a headline.
He must have given Brendan Rodgers a startling number of headaches. Now he’s back from his ban, I expect things to get even more tense.
Last year may have been the Reds annus horribilis, but there was a bright spark among all the dark clouds. His name was Raheem Sterling.
When the youngster first sprung onto the scene at the start of last season, he immediately wrote his way into Liverpool fan’s good books. His pace down the wings, direct attacking nature and confidence made him an extremely exciting player to watch. It wasn’t long before pundits took the safety caps off of their keyboards and started spraying out the superlatives with gay aplomb.
I have to say, some of the plaudits may have been unwarranted. Raheem Sterling could end up being a good player, but he still has a long way to go.
In recent times, Sterling’s form has dipped. He’s clearly been affected by off the field incidents, including an assault charge that was recently dropped. Rodgers has said this about the player’s future:
“He needs to understand the remarkable opportunity he has at one of the biggest clubs in the world and focus everything on his career. Once he does that and he is clear in his mind, once he has got no distractions, we can get to the level of performance of the first four to five months of last year.” (Source: The Star)
That sounds spot on to me. The sooner that Stirling can leave his off the field exploits behind him and start concentrating on his football, the better. If he’s to make it at a club like Liverpool, he’s got to combine his raw talent with hard work and a better attitude.
If he pulls that off, who knows what he can achieve?
What’s your take? Can Raheem Sterling be a success at Liverpool?
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As a big Red supporter who goes loads of games home and away I’d like to say Raheem Sterling is simply at present not good enough to play for Liverpool Football Club. That may change and I’d love it if it did but just can’t see it.
He won’t make it if he continues to go clubbing at 4am. He has a simple choice. Football or play boy.
I know people will say he is still improving, but everytime he walks on to the field I cringe. His first touch or rather, overall ball control is terrible. It is more like Bambi trying to control a bouncing cube. I would rather he is loaned out and in his place play Ibe.