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Should Sterling Just Be Allowed To Shine?

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Raheem Sterling has been one of the shining lights of the early stages of Liverpool’s 2012/2013 campaign. The 17-year old has produced a style of play that has provided Reds fans with one of a few highlights of a poor opening month of the season.

The big debate with the youngster is, however – do we continue to utilise his raw talent on a regular basis and risk burning him out come the end of the season or do we protect him and use him sparingly? Sadly, for me, it is a debate that we should have to discuss. A young, exciting player like Sterling should be seen as a luxury for Liverpool and not a necessity; Brendan Rodgers should be able to use him when he sees fit, not when the team are in desperate need of big performances.

The overwhelming reason why Sterling has become a first team regular overnight is down to our misdemeanours in the recent transfer window. The clubs failure to bring in enough players to provide cover in the attacking positions means the likes of Sterling and Borini, who is only 21 himself, now have a lot more pressure on their shoulders than Brendan Rodgers probably would have originally preferred.

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Sterling, despite the fact he is only 17 years old and full of youthful energy, is not used to participating in so many highly-charged, competitive football matches and it has been quite evident on a few occasions that he is running on empty towards the end of the matches he’s been involved in so far this season. This is a considerable concern for Brendan Rodgers and his staff because, without Sterling, until January at least, we are significantly threadbare on the wings with only the underperforming Stewart Downing and newcomer Oussama Assaidi available as out-and-out wide men with an injury-hit Joe Cole able to act as cover should he manage to overcome his fitness concerns.

There is an argument that would suggest it is safe to play Sterling in the majority of our games up until the January transfer windows opens and then cover can be brought in to allow the ex-QPR man to be rotated and given time to recuperate. This would be a calculated risk but I am sure it is an option that Rodgers has considered during his thinking time regarding Sterling.

Furthermore, it was reported in the news recently that Brendan Rodgers sought after showdown talks with the FA in order to give them his thoughts of which level of international football Raheem Sterling should represent England at. Stuart Pearce was keen on calling up the youngster to his under-21 squad; however, Rodgers requested that Sterling’s progress should be carefully monitored and that he believed retaining him in the under-19 squad was the best option for now, with Sterling still four years away from reaching the under-21 age limit. Sterling has since been called up by Roy Hodgson to the senior squad for a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine but solely to gain top level experience rather than to be used on the pitch for England.

This concern from the manager suggests that Rodgers has Sterling’s best interests at heart and, despite it being a risk playing him in so many competitive games; the boss knows the best way in which to deal with the talented Jamaican-born winger and placing our trust in the Northern Irishman over this issue would be the best move for all Liverpool fans worldwide.

Follow me on Twitter – @ElliottTunstall

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2 comments

  • David Tyrer says:

    I think the idea of allowing him to play on until January is a good one. I reckon that if Assaidi turns out to be a good buy, Sterling might not play so much but otherwise, the attitude should be to use him while he still cope with it.

  • imoff says:

    He should be played regularly in the PL and not worry about the expectations , just don’t play him in the Europa league stage/FA/League Cups as these are breaks and will serve as recovery time for the lad .I would love to see him play regularly at least 25-30 starts and the remaining games as subs just to keep him on his toes as well.

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