He’s a man that’s been on the radar for a while now but never quite managed to burst onto the scene in the fashion that team mate Raheem Sterling did back in 2012. However, after young prodigy Jordon Ibe was handed a surprise start in the Merseyside derby last weekend, a much newer, brighter lease of life appears to have officially arrived on the scene, and settled into the Liverpool first team squad.
The 19-year-old tricky winger, who can also play in a wide midfield role or perhaps as a ‘second striker’, undoubtedly best shows his talent starting from wide positions, both left and right, with the ball at his feet. The Englishman has blistering pace, excellent ball control, a book full of elegant tricks and after loan spells at Birmingham City and Derby County, he as began to develop an impressive eye for goal.
He’s a player that sure looks like he could do Liverpool the world of good heading into the next couple of top flight seasons, as they try to return to the summit of the standings.
The performance at Goodison Park on Saturday didn’t go un-noticed by the watching fans and supporters as he was named man of the match in the 0-0 draw, , nor his one against Spurs on Tuesday for that matter. Ibe went marginally close to giving the Reds the lead in the first half, after he showed exceptional ability to dance around the Everton players and drive down the right hand side before crashing a stinging shot against the post from range. He continued to cause problems for Everton left back Bryan Oviedo all evening and announced himself properly on England’s elite stage. On Tuesday he hit a stinging left-footed shot at Lloris after another adventurous run.
Liverpool will be delighted with the development of Ibe over the past few years and he adds something special to a growing squad.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was overjoyed, and this week told the Liverpool Echo that Jordon Ibe can “go and play in any arena in the world”.
“If he was a European player, a foreign player, people would be raving about him.”
“He’s a very, very talented player, you saw that in the game, saw his temperament. He can go into any arena in the world now.”
“He’s an incredible talent for one so young. To go to Goodison and play with that control… he has great technique, he’s so smooth. He’s got a soft touch on the ball.”
“Tactically he’s very good for a young player. Hopefully this game will fast-track his development. I would expect big things but there is still a long, long way to go but hopefully he will be a big player for us.”
“The objective is always to maximise their potential and the investment made by the club. Jordon showed he has the temperament to play in a big game and I know he has the talent.”
But now that Ibe joins Raheem Sterling in the first team squad and becomes an integral part of the manager’s decisions, it gives a real headache for the Northern Irishman as the squad appears to grow and grow with attacking aptitude, with the likes of Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Lazar Markovic (plus potentially young Sheyi Ojo, currently on loan at Wigan Athletic) all ready to fire Liverpool to success.
Ibe has progressed in a slightly different manner that Sterling did, when he made his debut in the 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City in 2012, as Rodgers explained too.
“Jordon’s pathway has been different. I felt I had to go out on loan with him while Raheem came straight into the team.” said Rodgers.
But after seeing them both break into the side within two years, it begs a question. Is Jordan Ibe at an advantage, or has he got more work to do than his team mate?
It’s like this: Sterling was thrown right in at the deep end, no doubt about that. He continued to be selected and at first found it hard, but he stuck at it and slowly became what he is today. After being a star player in the club’s title challenge and a starter in England’s World Cup eleven, he has done fantastically well for himself, and he deserves the credit, as does the manager.
With Ibe going on loan twice, he gained experience at a good level in a good team, especially at Derby County. Derby were rightly disappointed to see him recalled, as he had been an important player for them; however it was always going to happen at some point. Ibe was sent out for a reason and he has come back exactly how the club would have wanted, a brighter, stronger, overall better player that can bring success to Anfield.
It’s not to compare the two, as I for one feel that they are two different players in many ways.
But now that he has that useful experience under his belt, will Jordon Ibe be able to pick up the pace quicker than Sterling managed, or will he also need the same amount of time in the Premier League in terms of games to get to his phenomenal level? It’s exciting times to say the least.
