At the age of just 17 years and 107 days, Raheem Sterling made his first team debut for Liverpool, coming on for Kenny Dalglish’s side for a small cameo against Wigan Athletic. Truth be known, it wasn’t Liverpool’s finest hour. Losing 2-1 at home to a struggling Wigan side summed up what was generally going wrong with LFC that season. However, in those closing minutes Sterling provided more menace, excitement and hope than any other player had in the minutes preceding. I watched him that day and thought he was a player worth getting excited about. An electric winger, fleet footed and skilful. He was purposeful, yet poised and looked the real deal.
One thing for me that set him apart from any old winger however, was that he was positionally and tactically very astute. That is very rare in younger players, not least ones at 17. That awareness is something so fundamental for modern attackers to succeed, it’s instinct and game intelligence which can really make the difference if a player is to achieve something special. Another quality Raheem has, which gave me hope, was his sheer tenacity. He’s small in figure and stature. But what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in aggressiveness. He’s got impressive upper body strength, which he uses very cleverly to shield the ball and out muscle opponents. The bigger they are, the harder he battles, which is very admirable and vital to his success.
Now I’m the first to admit I know little about all academy prospects. It’s not that I don’t know names, even skill sets. I hear hype most days about the latest batch of talented youngsters, all itching to make the first team at the age of 17. However I rarely have time to watch the academy play. Even if I do, my feelings are that it’s such a huge step up, that even if a player excels at youth level like Raheem, they aren’t remotely guaranteed to succeed at a top end club.
My doubts with academy players are that they’re overhyped beyond belief, some forced prematurely and unintelligently into the spotlight. Football manager, YouTube and Twitter turns many into chief scouts forming pre-emptive decisions, pushing high expectation over reality to the masses. When the media gets involved it’s worsens too, especially for players who are English (or can represent England). That’s why players such as Raheem, on one hand should be treasured, but on the other handled sensibly and carefully.
The summer following Raheem’s debut, Rodgers joined Liverpool. Brendan’s a man who embraces young talent, continued where Kenny had left off, giving the young lad the opportunity to play regularly and prove his worth. Raheem grasped that opportunity with both hands, quickly becoming a fixture of Rodgers raw but exciting side. Not once did he look fazed as the prospect of facing players far more experienced and physically stronger than himself. He shone for me and looked to have a very bright future indeed.
As Raheem’s performances continued to impress, his fame started to rise, with the nation duly paying attention. Perhaps due to hype, or possibly the fear that he would choose to represent his motherland (Jamaica), he was called up to the full England squad, for a fixture against Ukraine. He played no part, but soon retuned to the squad. He started in a friendly vs Sweden, playing 85 minutes and performing very well in the first half especially. He looked assured, confident and at home in the side, which was a positive, despite the negative result.
With this new found fame, many stories of his humble beginnings began to flood the media. They were mostly positive, youth managers speaking of the joy of his rise, of his talent and grit. This combined with strong performances led to a swell of hype about his long term potential and consequently short term suitors.
Liverpool were suddenly under strong pressure to reward Raheem accordingly. That reward took form of a bumper professional contract, which if not offered gave a strong risk of losing one of the nations brightest prospects. The contract arrived, a rumoured £30,000 a week over 5 years plus incremental rises; bonuses; the lot. Now I’m fairly level headed, but if I was getting that kind of money at 18, I may let it go to my head.
This new found wealth, Raheem’s well reported off the field antics and on the pitch demands were surely going to impact on the performances of the teenager (who lets not forget is just that). If he believes his own hype then he starts to think he’s already made it, stops working as hard, stops putting those extra few yards in. If, on the other hand, he reads all the negative press about his less than private life, then it goes the other way. His confidence diminishes, he plays within himself and struggles. Perhaps it was a combination of all of the above, but Raheem’s form slowly dipped. Injury then hit and the season for the young man was over.
At the start of this season, it was a difficult period for Raheem. He was overshadowed by Sturridge, Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Henderson and thus underplayed. That, after an exciting and promising pre-season, must have left the winger feeling flat.
A rare start came against Palace, in a right wing back role. Raheem looked uncomfortable and nervous, a shadow of the player who burst onto the scene just a year or so earlier. This was clearly a concern for some fans. That performance and lack of recent football led to many questioning whether Sterling had enough ability to make it at this level. Many said he should be shipped out on loan as soon as possible, others quite incredibly, gone all together. Ridiculous I know, but true!
He then dropped back to the bench, patiently awaiting his next opportunity. An unfortunate injury to Sturridge and change of formation has given him his shot. Once it came, boy has he made it count. He started playing like a man possessed, so bright and positive when with the ball; so smart and cunning without it. He’s found his swagger again, but not only that, he’s grown up in front of our eyes. His intelligence in movement, his timing of runs and his maturity in his all round game, its on another level. He’s showing all I hoped he would when I first saw him play. With a little more shooting practice and composure (could be said for a few at LFC), he’s going to go as far as he wants, starting with the World Cup in Brazil, then hopefully the Champions League next season.
It’s some way until Sterling reaches his ultimate potential however. That’s quite what’s so staggering about his ability. At times already he looks like he could take on the world. He plays with skill and maturity well beyond his years and I’m genuinely excited to see how good he’ll become. I’m sure as with 95% of young players his form may dip from time to time. However I was – and will remain – never in doubt that Raheem will achieve wonderful things with Liverpool football club and on an international stage. He seems to have that mental strength required, to combine with his undoubted ability, to really take the premier league by storm. He’s managed by the ideal manager (at club level at least) and is surrounded by players such as Suarez and Sturridge, who can only bring the best out of him.
If you still don’t believe the hype. Sit back, open your eyes, pay attention and enjoy watching a young star mature into a top, top player. I promise it’ll be worth the wait, although blink and that wait may just be gone.
