Two names from the youth teams that Liverpool fans and coaches have been championing over the last couple of years are Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe. Both had been brought into the club for rather large fees as youngsters from QPR and Wycombe respectively at the tender age of just 16.
Ibe had already shown his talent, becoming Wycombe’s youngest ever player and goalscorer in the Football League. Sterling was spotted in QPR’s youth team and was snapped up by Rafael Benitez for the fee of £600,000 (Which could eventually rise to almost £5m).
It could be argued that both are very similar in the way in which they play. Pace, guile and trickery are their main assets, but both have something unique to offer. Ibe’s strength and power on the ball is the one thing that I believe separates him from other wingers in his age group. His ability to beat his man with this power coupled with his pace makes him an exciting prospect. Sterling is a very similar player, but arguably without the power, although a stint at RWB for Liverpool recently has shown that he can more than handle himself in situations against larger opponents.
I believe that Jordon Ibe can have a very similar effect on the first team as Sterling has. Sterling has now played 41 league games for Liverpool with 5 goals to his name as well as getting himself noticed by the England set up, a stellar return for a player that is just 19 years old. Jordon Ibe has played in just 2 matches so far but is a year younger than Sterling.
What benefitted Sterling was that he came into the side at a time when we were not performing as well and was in desperate need of some pace on the flanks. Injuries last season also helped Sterling to get more appearances and really cement himself in the first team. He was left out at the start of this season but a series of fine performances seem to have put him back in contention for a regular starting berth.
The problem for Ibe is that now he is looking to get into the first team he has a number of players ahead of him. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Iago Aspas, Philippe Coutinho, Victor Moses, Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez and Jordan Henderson are all preferred for the ever rotating forward roles. And with Fabio Borini and Oussama Assaidi expected to return to the club next season, Ibe will really need to work hard to nail down a first team spot.
Ibe’s form for both the youth and Under 21’s side this season has been exceptional, and he has shown that he is already too good for that level of football and needs more game time in the first team to progress further. Another attribute that is key to Ibe’s play is his finishing. Arguably unlike Sterling, Ibe looks assured in front of goal and seems the kind of player that could guarantee you at least 10 league goals a season from the wing, a key factor for Brendan Rodgers who looks for goals from his supporting strikers.
I believe that at some point towards the end of this season and the start of next, Ibe will get his chance. In such a crucial year this year it is unlikely he will be fully blooded into the first team unless we have an injury crisis. I really hope that when he does get his chance he grabs it and really keeps hold of it as i believe he could have a similar, if not greater, impact to Raheem Sterling who is already a ‘Wonderkid’ himself.
Based on potential alone, a front 3 or 4 of Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez and Ibe in the future looks very frightening indeed. Pure pace and power coupled with the ability to score and assist each other, as a defender myself the thought of coming up against those players would give me sleepless nights.
