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Sterling - Does he have a football brain?

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posted on 12/6/16

Biggish i actually tweeted Rob Beasley last night saying (cos apparently Jose wanted him at Chelsea) that i don't regret missing out on that target.

Don't think the club even made an attempt to indulge José there.

posted on 12/6/16

No me neither................he was absolutely awful.

posted on 12/6/16

Sterling is better through the middle imo, when we played him there during our title challenge under Rodgers he was superb. It's like because he can't just knock it and run to the byline he has to actually think about what he does, seems to play better there.

Reminds of glen Johnson, woeful at right back but put him at left back and because it wasn't completely natural to him he had to actually stay concentrated.

posted on 12/6/16

He's a bog standard English player. Not awful but overhyped beyond belief. That said we don't just overrate Englishmen, anyone remember the Januzi hype, "the next Messi"

posted on 12/6/16

He started the game pretty well but got worse as the game progressed. It seems every English footballer with pace has the same issue. Definitely brainless.

Kane was the biggest disappointment last night though.

comment by Spurtle (U1608)

posted on 12/6/16

He's been like this at City all season.

Shame Welbeck got injured. You'd think he'd be playing there instead, and he actually does well there for England.

posted on 12/6/16

Yes I am a big fan of Wellbeck....he may not be a huge goal scorer, but he works opposing defenders down to the bone and softens them up for the likes of Kane etc...

Although Kane looked like he was carrying a piano on his back yesterday....bit of a concern that

posted on 12/6/16

He absolutely has a footballing brain and can between the lines as well as anyone his age.

He's not going to trick down the wing and criss it in on his left ala Giggs or Barnes though. He needs intractable play to get the best out of his acceleration and balance and no-one was near him.

posted on 12/6/16

Intricate play*
Cross*
Fvcking phone*

comment by Spurtle (U1608)

posted on 12/6/16

Kane was poor but he was never presented with any great chances. He showed when he gets the one good chance, which happened to be offside, he finishes it. Instead the best chances kept falling to Lallana, who is never going to score any important goal for England, even if he has 100 chances.

posted on 12/6/16

Another headless chicken , he looks like he has gone backwards since his big move.

posted on 12/6/16

Should have shifted Sterling out to the right.

Their LB was for the taking, especially if walker was doing just that.

posted on 12/6/16

Obviously I have no sympathy for the lad, the manner in which he left us, aided by his world famous diplomatic agent, was, on reflection, completely unnecessary, very badly handled. He would have continued to develop under Brendan, I have no doubt that Jurgen would have improved and developed him further, but, money talks and he left for City.

And what's he achieved since he got there? Kept the substitute's bench warm, overtaken by the young, younger Nigerian lad who is a joy to behold. What talent.

The future for him? The move to City isn't working, Pep will be ruthless in his assessment, and, to the delight of Aidy Ward no doubt, another transfer could be on the cards, with Pep's turn to get the blame.

JimmyTheRed

posted on 12/6/16

continued to develop under Rodgers

posted on 12/6/16

comment by Arouna Jagielka oooh I wanna take ya, Heitinga Nikica come on pretty mama (U1308)
posted 2 minutes ago
continued to develop under Rodgers
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Yes Arouna, developed under Rodgers. Whatever his faults he was good at bringing young players through.

comment by RGM (U20761)

posted on 12/6/16

Two years ago his lack of awareness was even more apparent so im not sure why you really rated him

posted on 12/6/16

comment by Spurtle2 (U1608)
posted 16 minutes ago
Kane was poor but he was never presented with any great chances. He showed when he gets the one good chance, which happened to be offside, he finishes it. Instead the best chances kept falling to Lallana, who is never going to score any important goal for England, even if he has 100 chances.
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The one good chance where everyone had stopped playing? Maybe if he stopped trying to be Ronaldo and believing he's a one man team, then he'd be in the positions where he might get a chance.

posted on 12/6/16

Hodgson is partly to blame here. Raheem is not an out and out winger but that was how he was used. As mentioned before he's good running between the lines and creating space. He seems to retain the ball better if he playes more central.

posted on 12/6/16

comment by RGM (U20761)
posted 1 minute ago
Two years ago his lack of awareness was even more apparent so im not sure why you really rated him
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Because he was two years younger, so easier to accept these faults in the belief he would develop awareness over time.

comment by Spurtle (U1608)

posted on 12/6/16

comment by terminator1 (U1863)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Spurtle2 (U1608)
posted 16 minutes ago
Kane was poor but he was never presented with any great chances. He showed when he gets the one good chance, which happened to be offside, he finishes it. Instead the best chances kept falling to Lallana, who is never going to score any important goal for England, even if he has 100 chances.
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The one good chance where everyone had stopped playing? Maybe if he stopped trying to be Ronaldo and believing he's a one man team, then he'd be in the positions where he might get a chance.
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Goalkeeper wouldn't have saved the shot from Kane regardless. Put Lallana in that position, and the shot goes straight at the keeper again.

Is it his decision to be made to look like a one man team though by taking the set pieces? In any case he's still England's best finisher and has done enough to remain the first choice striker.

posted on 12/6/16

Sterling has always been over rated, he was made to look better than he actually is at Pool by Suarez.

He is quick and tricky but with no end product, and he can`t shoot or finish for toffee.

Townsend has contributed far more for England than Sterling and yet was left behind.

posted on 12/6/16

I thought Sterling was very good in the first half, creating chances and giving their right back a hard time with his pace. He was the main player in creating two or England's best chances of the half, one were he took on a couple of players on their right and back heeled it to Rose who played it onto Alli's head with Alli fluffing it. Second half he faded. Not much for the midfield to aim at as Kane always seemed to be outside the box blasting the ball over the bar everytime he got it.

Rooney I thought was England's best player and the game was crying out for Alli to come off for Wilshere with Rooney pushing up and Kane replaced for Sturridge or Vardy, even at 1-0 up that was the move, Kane was too easy to mark, England needed a runner in behind to push them back.

Lallana also had a good game but seriously needs to work on his finishing. Walker was good too. Other than that there were players out there offering nothing and they stayed on the pitch way too long. England have such good options from the bench in attack for once and despite Hodgson saying he favoured attackers rather than midfielders and defenders, which showed in his squad selection, he failed to use them. Poor management.

posted on 12/6/16

comment by Spurtle2 (U1608)
posted 55 seconds ago
comment by terminator1 (U1863)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Spurtle2 (U1608)
posted 16 minutes ago
Kane was poor but he was never presented with any great chances. He showed when he gets the one good chance, which happened to be offside, he finishes it. Instead the best chances kept falling to Lallana, who is never going to score any important goal for England, even if he has 100 chances.
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The one good chance where everyone had stopped playing? Maybe if he stopped trying to be Ronaldo and believing he's a one man team, then he'd be in the positions where he might get a chance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Goalkeeper wouldn't have saved the shot from Kane regardless. Put Lallana in that position, and the shot goes straight at the keeper again.

Is it his decision to be made to look like a one man team though by taking the set pieces? In any case he's still England's best finisher and has done enough to remain the first choice striker.
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Here go the psychic Spurs fans again There's a massive difference between burying the ball in the back of the net after the whistle has gone and no ones trying to stop you scoring, than when defenders and keeper are trying to stop this. Based on the rest of the game, Kane would also have hit the ball straight at the keeper.

I've always rated Kane, but there's two strikers perfectly capable of taking his place sitting on the bench. When you have three games to get out of a group, you can't necessarily take the risk that he's suddenly hit a bad spell. It could cost us the group.

I agree that it's not all his fault with the set pieces though. That'll be our buffoonerous managers fault in the main. How he thinks Kane's better off outside the area at set plays is beyond all of us I think. We saw last night that either Rooney or Dier are perfectly capable of those duties.

posted on 12/6/16

comment by Billy The Yidd (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
Sterling has always been over rated, he was made to look better than he actually is at Pool by Suarez.

He is quick and tricky but with no end product, and he can`t shoot or finish for toffee.

Townsend has contributed far more for England than Sterling and yet was left behind.
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I agree that having the movement and pace and intelligence of sturridge and Suarez to play with made his job a lot easier but he is still a lad with a lot of talent.

I'd put sturridge or Vardy there and have a fluid front three, Kane pulls to the left studge/vardy goes central, lallana drops in behind etc.

posted on 12/6/16

comment by There'sOnlyOneReds (U1721)
posted 2 minutes ago
I thought Sterling was very good in the first half, creating chances and giving their right back a hard time with his pace. He was the main player in creating two or England's best chances of the half, one were he took on a couple of players on their right and back heeled it to Rose who played it onto Alli's head with Alli fluffing it. Second half he faded. Not much for the midfield to aim at as Kane always seemed to be outside the box blasting the ball over the bar everytime he got it.

Rooney I thought was England's best player and the game was crying out for Alli to come off for Wilshere with Rooney pushing up and Kane replaced for Sturridge or Vardy, even at 1-0 up that was the move, Kane was too easy to mark, England needed a runner in behind to push them back.

Lallana also had a good game but seriously needs to work on his finishing. Walker was good too. Other than that there were players out there offering nothing and they stayed on the pitch way too long. England have such good options from the bench in attack for once and despite Hodgson saying he favoured attackers rather than midfielders and defenders, which showed in his squad selection, he failed to use them. Poor management.
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What he did right pales into insignificance agst what he did wrong. The Rose set up is a great example of him running into a cul-de-sac and getting bailed out by a team mate who makes a gut busting run. That makes Sterling look good, but the fact is that was down to Rose.

Time and time again yesterday Sterling ran down the line until he got held up by a defender and then, and only then does he start thinking who do I pass too....the amount of times he had a great pass on to a team mate and did not do it due to lack of awareness was countless.

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