17-year old Sterling has come on leaps and bounds over the last six months, and despite his age, he's become a fixture in Liverpool's starting line-up. Roy Hodgson called the youngster into the full England squad last month, which capped the winger's meteoric rise this year, but Arsenal Legend Ian Wright insists that Hodgson made the wrong decision.
Speaking to LFC TV yesterday, Wright - who scored 128 goals during a 7-year stint at Arsenal - admitted he was 'annoyed' to see Sterling called-up to the England squad after only 205 minutes of senior football, and argued that it could be detrimental to the youngster's development. He observed:
"I don't know why they're rushing him [Sterling] like that. He's amongst top players at Liverpool, just call him into the U19s or U21s! What are you calling him into the full squad for? That expectation is going to be on him now. The same thing happened with Theo [Walcott], who's still recovering from the pressure and expextation.
"Its a distraction, and he doesn't need it. It's annoying. Give him a chance for crying out loud! We're not pushing enough young players through, but when they do come through it's like 'he's the next saviour!' let's get him in the squad. It's ridiculous! Just leave him!"
I agree with Wrighty here, but with such a dearth of genuinely world class English players, it's no surprise that any young English player with any talent is quickly snapped up by the full squad. The England team is tainted by decades of under-achievement, and the so-called 'golden generation' is guilty of continuous abject failure over the last twelve years.
Wrighty is not the only one who feels this way; Liverpool legend John Barnes sounded a similar not of caution last week; He told the Liverpool Echo:
"He [Sterling] bypassed the under-21s straight into the full squad, but I think he should have been in the under-21s. To put a lot of expectation on a young boy’s shoulders is unrealistic. I’m just hoping for it not to be a Theo Walcott situation, where he was taken to the World Cup as a young player and, because of the expectancy on him, his...career faltered for a while"
If his development continues positively, Sterling will be a lock for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (when he'll still only be 19), and given his talent, he could conceivably have a similar impact to Michael Owen in the 1998 World Cup.
Jaimie Kanwar
Speaking to LFC TV yesterday, Wright - who scored 128 goals during a 7-year stint at Arsenal - admitted he was 'annoyed' to see Sterling called-up to the England squad after only 205 minutes of senior football, and argued that it could be detrimental to the youngster's development. He observed:
"I don't know why they're rushing him [Sterling] like that. He's amongst top players at Liverpool, just call him into the U19s or U21s! What are you calling him into the full squad for? That expectation is going to be on him now. The same thing happened with Theo [Walcott], who's still recovering from the pressure and expextation.
"Its a distraction, and he doesn't need it. It's annoying. Give him a chance for crying out loud! We're not pushing enough young players through, but when they do come through it's like 'he's the next saviour!' let's get him in the squad. It's ridiculous! Just leave him!"
I agree with Wrighty here, but with such a dearth of genuinely world class English players, it's no surprise that any young English player with any talent is quickly snapped up by the full squad. The England team is tainted by decades of under-achievement, and the so-called 'golden generation' is guilty of continuous abject failure over the last twelve years.
Wrighty is not the only one who feels this way; Liverpool legend John Barnes sounded a similar not of caution last week; He told the Liverpool Echo:
"He [Sterling] bypassed the under-21s straight into the full squad, but I think he should have been in the under-21s. To put a lot of expectation on a young boy’s shoulders is unrealistic. I’m just hoping for it not to be a Theo Walcott situation, where he was taken to the World Cup as a young player and, because of the expectancy on him, his...career faltered for a while"
If his development continues positively, Sterling will be a lock for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (when he'll still only be 19), and given his talent, he could conceivably have a similar impact to Michael Owen in the 1998 World Cup.
Jaimie Kanwar
Rooney did well.
ReplyDeleteOwen...?
ReplyDeleteDid they not just call him up to the senior team to stop Jamaica from nabbing him? I think it was pre-emptively motivated by greed as opposed to any real notion of playing him with any degree of regularity.
ReplyDeleteMr Wright is right. Pushing him into the full squad when he's barely started his full career risks heaping undue pressure and expectation on a young player. It could also come back on us if he starts thinking he's already made it or his agent starts pushing for an inflated contract
ReplyDeleteHe was blatantly only called up so that he's committed to England for the rest of his life..Jamaica were all over this trying to get Sterling..
ReplyDeleteWho cares what he thinks. Sterling has shown he is ready for premier league and to be honest he is brilliant on the left or right he is the type of player england have been missing for ages. if your good enough your old enough just like owen was
ReplyDeleteLook at the pressure put on Walcott when this happened and he's never really been relieved of enough pressure to become the player we all know he is capable of being.
ReplyDeleteIn difficult times heroes rise to the occasion. LFC only had 12 senior players available each game, what do you expect? Ask Snoogy Doogy to play?
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the motivation behind his call up (the Jamaica allegation put forward), considering the lack of depth, the alternatives and the start he has made to his career, it isn't that unreasonable for Hodgson to call him up. Ideally, for me anyway, there would be a pool of talent that would allow Sterling to continue developing without having the burden/honour of full international duty at this stage in his career. So it is understandable, Wrighty's view, although the time frame is longer than the Theo situation in terms of when the WC is. But it is what it is, England have crap depth that has Downing in it.
ReplyDeleteSterling has done well but Hodgson was out of order to overlook a fit Aaron Lennon at the time.
ReplyDeleteA fella on here once said that Downing was better than Ribery.....I hope he's ok......
ReplyDeleteYikes!
ReplyDeleteIm pretty sure they called him in so he wouldnt be tempted to play for Jamacia
ReplyDeleteHe can still be called up by jamaica, only when he steps on the pitch in a match is ineligable for any other country.
ReplyDeleteThere is the worry that Sterling may have massive expectations placed upon him, but the biggest problem is i hope they do not burn him out slightly by having him play too much.
ReplyDeleteAfter all it is a very long season especially for one so young.
Could some please ask Mr. Wright how old the OX is????
ReplyDeletePele?
ReplyDeleteJust cos they wanna steal him away from Jamaica. That Either-We-Have-Him-Or-Nobody-Does kinda behavior
ReplyDeletehe wanna cheat Jamaica. #nuffsaid
ReplyDeletePeople forget that players such as Rooney, Pele, Owen etc... all had way more pitch time than Sterling. At least a season of experience in the 1st team. They rushed Walcott and expected too much of him. There are some very good Spanish players who are not even in the Spain squad, but they give them time to develop instead of sending them straight there. I think Jamaica was sniffing around Sterling hence the call. But that sets a bad example for other player IMO...that as long as you show some potential then you will be called up.
ReplyDeleteSome of things that happens footballwise leave me speechless.
The SPANISH give their talented kids time to develop because they're not needed as much.ENGLAND on the other hand is a rubbish side that needs all the help they can get.
ReplyDeleteLong term you would be helping the player letting him develop at a steady rate but football is a what are you doing for me now environment. Foresight in terms of player development is seen as dirty word.
I'm a little concerned like Royce677.I don't want this kid burnt out at a young age.When fatigue starts to show due to work overload injuries will start to happen.
Very true. At the same time the amount of expectation but in these young players can affect them mentally. When Walcott scored the hat trick for England nearly 3-4 years ago (ithink) people got so excited thinking he was the savior but no.
ReplyDeleteI say play him in U19 and U21, especially since he has only played a handful of games.
I think we're singing off the same hymn sheet.
ReplyDeletehe was called up to keep him out the clutches of jamacia simple as that
ReplyDeleteTrue, but now England have their foot in the door and psychologically, that will make it much easier for Sterling to chose England. It's a classic marketing technique and England, knowing Sterling's huge potential, used it to sell him his future place in the England squad, eliminating the competition from Jamaica.
ReplyDeleteSmall scale capitalism. ;)
Regarding Wright's comments, I agree with him. One must remember that despite Sterling's obvious talents, certain aspects of his physiology have not yet fully matured. Luckily, Sterling looks like a good boy, and that will help him a lot manage this crucial stage of his career.
It's a matter of having the right people around him, otherwise, we would risk having a talented but uncontrollable player the Balotelli type.
Did Roy not say when he called Sterling up it was so he can experience being around the England camp and that he wasn't going to play? How can that be heaping expectation on his young shoulders?
ReplyDeleteI think credit should go to Roy for his forward thinking in how a young player can learn from the experience around him at international level. One can only hope Sterling continues to keep his feet on the ground despite all the hype and develop into the player we all want to see him become. Best of luck to the lad! YNWA
And owen became injury prone by his early twenties
ReplyDeleteand he spent half his career on the injury table
ReplyDeletespot on wrighty. why panic when we have downing and ashley young..................haha.
ReplyDeleteengland wont be worth a watch for at least another 3 years +.
so leave sterling alone.
untill this brown generation are gone england suck, for all the obvious reasons and a sh#t manager to top it off.
The 'clutches' of his country of birth..
ReplyDeleteThe cheek of them Jamacians huh !!
sterlings been called up to the u21's. good move.
ReplyDeleteIF you play alot of football as a teeneage is the theory that player becomes injury prone later on in their career ? is there anything to back this up ?
ReplyDeleteMICHAEL OWEN, RYAN GIGGS, FERNANDO TORRES and RONALDO are just some players that played a lot of football at a young age.Starting at 17 just like RAHEEM STERLING.Look at the injury record of these players.
ReplyDeleteYeah, after they put all that time into his development, erm hang on, no they didn't.
ReplyDeleteA young bright player is developing the bottle needed to handle the pressure that comes from playing for the senior England team, and at a tender age of 17 it will only speed his development (IMO). Giving him the experience of being at the England setup will not only motivate him, but help him mature as well. Sterling knows he is 17 years old (duhhh), he knows he is a baby in experience, but he is not stupid. He will use this only as a positive experience and it will fuel his desire and personal ambitions with hard work.
ReplyDeletePressure?!! The England call-up was nothing more than a football field trip. Football is not only a test of skill but a test of character. He has handled his time on the pitch with Liverpool well, we lost vs Udinese but when he came on as a sub he showed some real hunger and desire. Mentally he is in the right direction.
As for Walcott? He's not a bad player and in no way has he been "victimized" of pressure and expectation.The system Arsenal play he is interchanging a lot with the wings and striker positions but above all else he gears his talent towards the team rather than flashy solo performances, unless its as lethal as counter-attacking football (flashback: champions league goal vs Liverpool). Walcott is still a solid outlet for England, but what I don't understand is why people go and expect him to be like Ronaldo or Messi. I mean look at Borini, he got into the Italy side that went to the final of Euro 2012 at 21 years of age yet are people making big news of him? My point is don't think someone is pressured and stressed based on minutes played but how well you play during those minutes. Sterling earned it at only 17. And if his performances dip, then say he distracted and annoyed, but I believe we won't come across that with Sterling. Not even Suso, Wisdom, Robinson, Assaidi, Shelvey. They only thing they are worrying about is getting injured. Mentally these young guys are good mentally.
Like Rodgers says, if you have the right attitude.