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Rodgers expected Sterling dip

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says Raheem Sterling's slump in form is "to be expected", insisting he will not rush the teenager's progress.

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Comments 1 - 10 of (21)

Gab1965 says...

He's still a talent, and has many years to improve and develop. He needs to find a few more goals at this level and make small improvements in his game. But he definitely has potential and definitely should be rested and used more for games where the team is able to dominate or are comfortable. Anyone who can't see the potential is a fool, and anyone comparing him to Giggs, etc, when the game is faster now than in those days, is being unrealistic. He'll never be a Barnes or an Owen, who played in better teams than him, but has enough to be a top Premiership player. The team doesn't need him as much as it did earlier in the season, and when he was needed he did his bit for the team. This is the perfect time for him to step back, work on his game and his strength. And some people don't realise that there is a lot to more to getting tired than running around a lot. Young players, in particular, have to handle the adrenaline and the mental side of things, having 40,000 people cheering for you or abusing you. If it was just a case of physical strength, all the best players would be under 27 or 28.

Posted 6:29pm 28th February 2013

manunited (Manchester United) says...

ryansmile10, well that's true about Giggs now, I agree, but teh fledglings weren't introduced gently in physical terms, only in footballing terms - when they were technically ready for first team football. Giggs played 55 games in the same season Sterling is in now, i.e when they were both 17/18, and as soon as Neville, Beckham did get in the first team they were regular starters, not in there sporadically. I just don't agree with the idea of "rest" being necessary unless you have an all-action game like Lampard and need high energy levels to be effective, are nearly 40 like Giggs, or suffer from chronic pain like King.

Posted 11:05am 28th February 2013

Mashman says...

I watched him in the u21s game against united and he was abysmal, definitely lost that spark he had at the start of the season. Rodgers has already used him too much if he's burnt out. He shouldn't have started so much at the start of the season. Rodgers is supposed to take the long term view so I'm surprised he played him so often. I did think in about October that he hassle played too much. He's at a critical age where he's still growing and developing so he needs to be managed well. Fergie learned this at Aberdeen and by the time it came to giggs et al he knew how to manage them. Hence how giggs, scholes, beckham etc have had such long careers. Wenger has thus far failed to master this - Wilshere, diaby, fabregas, Gibbs, to name a few of the young arsenal players who have jostled for position on the treatment table for long periods of their career. If he's managed well sterling will be a quality player but if he isn't his career could be a short one.

Posted 7:30am 28th February 2013

fictionalemu says...

I know that the squad was thin, but playing Sterling so much at the start of the season looks potentially a huge mistake. After the opening day, he started 16 league games in a row, plus some in the cups. Physically, that's clearly going to be draining for a guy who's body is still developing. And mentally, going from an academy player to a first-choice pick (and England player) so rapidly must be a strange thing to deal with. Very easy for a teenage to either get cocky and complacent or, when he does have a dip in form/fitness, lost confidence.

Posted 7:09pm 27th February 2013

Mulsey says...

I agree with Rodgers, but would be interested to know who is responsible for overplaying and putting too much expectation on him. If only Liverpool could pay someone to manage the squad over the course of the season then every little thing would be alright.

Posted 6:40pm 27th February 2013

stringman04 (Liverpool) says...

@Vidiction - how can you claim Sterling hasn't "delivered like we were led to believe he would"? It's over-expectant FANS who were crying for Sterling's involvement, proclaiming he would be an instant star. I don't recall Rodgers or any of the players claiming anything like that at all. In his time on the pitch he's shown some promise, some inexperience, some pace, some lack of ball control ... he's young, and his relatively heavy involvement in Liverpool's first-team this season has been mostly due to a lack of better options.

Posted 6:02pm 27th February 2013

ryanssmile10 (Tottenham Hotspur) says...

@manunited.... with all due respect, Sterling was a regular starter for the first half of the season. Comparing him to Giggs (and I guess Lampard due to his situation) who is used sparingly by Ferguson is wrong - Giggs plays about 1 in 3. If you do want to make a comparision to Giggs, then it would be towards how Ferguson introduce him to first team football, along with all the other fledglings - i.e. Gently. I totally agree with Macc07 that an England call up was wrong, but that's the problem with the national side. As soon as a young kid can kick a ball straight, they are in the England side and then struggle to live up to expectation.

Posted 5:19pm 27th February 2013

manunited (Manchester United) says...

I like him, good player, but how can you be tired after playing a football match a couple of times a week for a few months at the age of 17? Giggs or Lampard should be "fatigued", not Sterling.

Posted 2:32pm 27th February 2013

macca_07 (Liverpool) says...

def a good prospect , played very well at the start of the season and we relied on him a little to much, not sure if its to do with signing a new contract of the level of expectation on him at such a young age but one thing is for sure calling a boy into the England squad does not help his progress at all. Just made the expectation level rise even higher for him putting more pressure on him to perform. But think BR handling him well at the moment by not having him feature to much

Posted 1:42pm 27th February 2013

Vidiction says...

Did anyone else see the interview Gerrard did on ITV before the Zenit game last week? It wasn't normal upbeat Stevie that is always on about the "Right direction the Club is taking" and this so called "Progress there making", infact he was faily critical and looked and sounded p*ss off too! And one of the main things that caught my attention, when asked about the young talent within ranks at LFC he replied "What Young Talent?" and warned poeople and espacailly Liverpool fans not to get too excited about current young players in the squad and coming through the academy and that they still have a lot to prove and acheive! Not sure if Sterling was one of those players he was on about but he hasn't delivered like we were led to beleive he would... Anyway he was fairly frustrated in that interview, I'm amazed anyone else hasn't mentioned it in another article or maybe they have! Sounded like he was having a dig at someone inside the Club, like the Owner or Manager...

Posted 1:31pm 27th February 2013

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