How did Sterling turn into England’s Jesus Navas?
Steven Gerrard had a little test for any new, young player who fought his way into the Liverpool squad. It wasn’t very subtle. He would hit him with a tackle in training. a big one. a Gerrard special. the sort that, in a game, would leave a mark. If the lad came back from that; if Gerrard then got one in return or his opponent did not shrink, Gerrard would privately declare him Liverpool-worthy.
the day raheem Sterling made the group, Gerrard didn’t expect much. ‘You look at raheem and you think, ‘‘Kid, you’re very small’’,’ he wrote in his autobiography. He thought Sterling had the frame of a 16-year- old boy. He put one on him anyway, just to be certain. Gerrard said he bounced off.
‘He’s got the strength and power of a man,’ he concluded. ‘even more than that of an ordinary man. Sterling could always mix it with hard men like Martin Skrtel. Sterling could carry Skrtel on his back. I’ve seen him do it in one-on-one situations . . . ’
What is Sterling carrying on his back at this tournament, though? More than any weight he endured at Liverpool, it would seem. He sees team psychiatrist Steve Peters regularly and says it helps him and has taken to signing his twitter feed ‘the Hated One’, which appears more bravado than a genuine absence of concern. His Instagram page contains another hashtag ‘Hated talent’, so perhaps it is an attempt to create a brand. Cornering the market in hatred doesn’t seem much of a pitch for a young footballer, though, particularly one fragile enough to need help on the mental side of his game.
Sterling acts as if the physical toughness that Gerrard identified is replicated in his attitude, too — but maybe the negativity around his move from Liverpool has taken its toll. Maybe the Hated One would rather be loved. Who wouldn’t? Sterling agitated, very publicly, to get out of anfield, even though he surely would have anticipated the backlash.
then and now, Sterling projects an image that suggests he rejects the world’s opinions. But he might care more than he lets on, because since his £47million move to Manchester City his numbers are sharply down. Indeed, he seems a little lost right now; his performances stripped of the spark that two years ago made him an irresistible force in the english game.
against russia on Saturday, when Sterling was substituted with three minutes to go, a group of england fans let their feelings be known. they raised their hands above their heads, but gave a mock ovation instead, the two palms missing, so no noise was made. Haters, plainly.
all cynics begin as optimists and the problem for Sterling’s critics is that he was supposed to be so much more than just another hard runner for england. He was going to be the next Gareth Bale: a breakthrough, crossover player, wide or through the middle, capable of scoring and creating in equal measure.
AGaInSt russia, he worked powerfully in transition play but didn’t look like getting a goal, didn’t create much and, in good positions, his final ball was ordinary. He was england’s Jesus navas (below), the difference being that navas cannot make Spain’s squad while Sterling starts for england.
Sterling hit six more passes than Joe Hart and, of the outfield players, only adam Lallana and Harry Kane made fewer. In terms of pass completion, Sterling’s percentages put him in the bottom half of the team.
the meeting with Wales places Sterling’s status in even sharper relief because it was not long ago that he was tipped to follow the same career path as Bale: youth system at Southampton, then on to a bigger Premier League club, tottenham, and finally real Madrid.
Sterling was going to reach the Bernabeu via Queens Park rangers and Liverpool. Yet that prospect looks ever more remote. When City played real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final this season Sterling did not make the starting lineup in either game.
His numbers are down for City across the board. Shots: 36 versus 62 in his final season for Liverpool. assists: two versus seven. Chances created: 35 versus 75. Crosses and corners: 58 versus 81. Crosses and corner accuracy: 8.6 versus 22.2. dribbles completed: 41 versus 103. dribbles attempted: 93 versus 233. the deterioration in his positivity is startling. He doesn’t carry the ball, he isn’t as creative with it and his accuracy is off. this is a player roy Hodgson was urged to include in Brazil two years ago in much the same way an imperative has surrounded dele alli this time. Sterling averages a goal for england every 12 matches; for Manchester City 4.2, for Liverpool 5.6. Where has he gone, the boy in a man’s body; the kid who could carry Skrtel on his back? Maybe Sterling needs to worry less about being hated and become reacquainted with the talent that made him loved. It is still there, because it was significant and cannot be so easily lost.