Sterling Deserves More Credit for His Contribution This World Cup

Sheffsteel

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Sterling is in that category of players that often receives criticism.

He’s very quick and talented but seems to play off the cuff as though he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. But if Raheem Sterling doesn’t know what he’s going to do next then you can bet the defenders have no idea too. He’s often inconsistent, capable of brilliance one minute, then terrible the next.

His scoring record for England is generally poor and you don’t feel confident he will convert easy chances so taken in isolation there’s a strong arguement Sterling should be dropped

BUT assessing players isn’t as simple as using statistics.

I thought he played well against Sweden, their defenders couldn’t cope with him. He was finding space behind all the time, worked really hard and won us a few corners.

If Southgate (the expert) thinks he’s good enough for the 1st team then that’s fine with me.
There’s a bigger picture of the TEAM performance being much more important than any individual performance. Been impressed with Sterling’s attitude and work rate giving himself to the team ethic.

Also you know that if Sterling clicks he’s well capable of playing a starring role, even against the best defenders in the world. Think there’s more to come from him.
 

markwwfc1992

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I'll praise him when he learns how to pass a football. Mbappe for France yesterday showed the world how fantastic forward play works all whilst being very unselfish. For all of Sterling's good work it is overshadowed because it comes across that it is more about him than the country he represents. Class player when it all comes off for him but very frustrating when it doesn't.
 

Renegade

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Great footballer. If he could finish, he would be world class, but even despite his dreadful shooting his overall performance for England in this tournament has been very good. Finishing is the first (maybe only) thing people that don't really understand football (read: casual World Cup fans) will notice with attack minded players, they won't appreciate his link up play, his excellent dribbling, the space he creates for his team mates with his game breaking speed. He creates attacks and gets into positions that the players on England's bench simply don't, dragging defenders with him along the way. Lingard is underappreciated in this context too, he was the stand out performer against Tunisia, but fans focused on him missing a few good chances instead of the disruption he was causing their defence with intelligent, well-timed runs.

The press have always had it in for Sterling too, so a lot of fans will focus on the negatives of his performance before other players. He has quite easily outperformed Dele Alli at this tournament, yet has received twice the criticism.

I saw similar criticism leveled at Giroud, people don't appreciate what these players bring to their team and will instead focus on their gaffes in front of goal. Their managers aren't mental or clueless, both sides are better with these players in the line up.

I find myself as a United fan rooting for him simply because he's always received more flak than he deserves. An easy scapegoat, for some reason derided as a mercenary for moving to City and making a lot of money when plenty of players have done the same by joining rich clubs. The Sun making him the posterboy of spoilt Premier League footballers despite him leading a pretty normal life for a Premier League player. With that and a lot of the fans I encounter seemingly willing him to fail, I can't help but do the opposite.
 
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blademan89

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Great footballer. If he could finish, he would be world class, but even despite his dreadful shooting his overall performance for England in this tournament has been very good. Finishing is the first (maybe only) thing people that don't really understand football (read: casual World Cup fans) will notice with attack minded players, they won't appreciate his link up play, his excellent dribbling, the space he creates for his team mates with his game breaking speed. He creates attacks and gets into positions that the players on England's bench simply don't, dragging defenders with him along the way. Lingard is underappreciated in this context too, he was the stand out performer against Tunisia, but fans focused on him missing a few good chances instead of the disruption he was causing their defence with intelligent, well-timed runs.

The press have always had it in for Sterling too, so a lot of fans will focus on the negatives of his performance before other players. He has quite easily outperformed Dele Alli at this tournament, yet has received twice the criticism.

I saw similar criticism leveled at Giroud, people don't appreciate what these players bring to their team and will instead focus on their gaffes in front of goal. Their managers aren't mental or clueless, both sides are better with these players in the line up.

I find myself as a United fan rooting for him simply because he's always received more flak than he deserves. An easy scapegoat, for some reason derided as a mercenary for moving to City and making a lot of money when plenty of players have done the same by joining rich clubs. The Sun making him the posterboy of spoilt Premier League footballers despite him leading a pretty normal life for a Premier League player. With that and a lot of the fans I encounter seemingly willing him to fail, I can't help but do the opposite.

Perfect post that mate, you couldn't be any more correct.
 

Gassy

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Agreed. I thought Sterling was class - just missing his shooting boots
 

Bobbin'

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It’s not just his shooting, it’s his passing and general decision making.

If you can’t make correct decisions on the ball, you’re not a great player. You just have the potential to be one, that’s what Sterling has.
 

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