Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling

Current Club: Manchester City.
Previous Clubs: Liverpool, QPR (U18s).
Loan Clubs: None.

International: England 32 caps 2 goals.

Despite being small and slight looking, Sterling is quite capable of shielding a ball well, with a incredibly fast acceleration to then take him away from defenders. The England winger also has good technique enabling him to keep close control of the ball as he dribbles at pace through and round defenders. Which is why it is so odd that his major weakness is his technique striking a ball, as that is quite frankly abysmal for a player at his level.

The problems striking the ball affect his shooting, passing and crossing, which are all consistently inconsistent. You just never know whether he will smash a simple ball into row z or play a pinpoint ball into the box. When he was younger at Liverpool, I had wondered if the lad lacked composure, which saw him lose his head and just lash at the ball whenever he got into an advanced position. However, having watched him at City, it is clear that his technique is just very poor and that he is not striking the ball true.

That pace, acceleration and tricky feet suggest he has spent most of his time running with the ball and not enough time honing his techniques passing, crossing and shooting. Something that you would expect a coach like Pep Guardiola to put right, with his emphasis on passing drills.

Off the ball Sterling is a willing runner, always looking for a ball slipped through to him to run onto and use his pace. Also he has no qualms about tracking back, as his workrate has always been good, even when his attitude left something to be desired off the pitch as he forced through his transfer to Man City.