Ibe
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you got me there. Sterling is a beast. I just think Ibe looks more of a searing attacking threat.
Thing is they don't object to comparisons per se, but any suggestion that Ibe could be in remotely the same league in terms of potential.
I've never really understood that. Seems to me you could at least make an argument along those lines.
How can you object to comparing potential? It's fucking potential.
By its very nature it's just a seed of something to come, some players look shite then become immense, others look world class at 17 then fade into mediocrity.
I dunno. I think it's part of the same Rawkite strain that so fears chat about transfers - that somehow speculation is dangerous and impure and not to be tolerated in the lower orders because of where it might lead.
I may go & link an article about
Roko's basilisk over there...
You have to now you know.
Damn you. It was already too late for you .. and Wiki tells me it is for me too now.
Yeah, I'm kind of pissed at him too. He's doomed us all.
Sorry mate, just meant in the broad scheme of things but thanks for the info. Hughes had been slated as the next big thing and I havent heard much on him recently but was wondering if Ibe has gone in there and outshone him within the team.
We can only dream that Ibe will develop in to a strong social media presence like babel
Don't belittle the man. He has a clothing range as well. He also occasionally organises club nights in Amsterdam.
He's a good rapper too?
Putting two p's in there you say?
He'd better start impregnating quickly then.
I kind of have the opposite view to a lot of commenters in this thread – I always backed Sterling over Ibe and thought he would grow into a better player, even when things were not going so well for him. The reason for this is I have a theory that players who manage to overcome a physical disadvantage playing vs older players and beat them with skill rather than by being faster/stronger than them are much more likely to become good players than those who already have some physical advantage from young age and naturally learn to rely on it.
Now I get what many of you are saying – if Ibe develops by leaps and bounds like Sterling, he could in theory become an even more dominant player because in addition to speed he has great body strength which could become a really dominant combo. But I think we have to be realistic – only a small % of talented young wingers grow up to become all-around great players. Most enjoy good spells and then get found out – we saw this many times with likes of Townsend, Lennon, Nani, our Babel and countless and forgotten others. If we strike gold twice and Ibe develops into the next Barnes alongside Sterling – well, that's going to be great. We'll be a top team for years to come if we manage to hold on to them. But don't get your hopes up too prematurely, at this point there is no way to know if Ibe will be among those elite 5-10% who manage to find another level. I'm sure he's going to be a good player. But great? Nobody in the world knows that right now.
Another point I want to make is, I think it's wrong to say Ibe has a higher ceiling than Sterling because I don't think Sterling has a ceiling. He has no physical limitations to becoming one of the best players in the world. He just needs to keep his focus and keep improving his dribbling, finishing and decision-making.
Now I get what many of you are saying – if Ibe develops by leaps and bounds like Sterling, he could in theory become an even more dominant player because in addition to speed he has great body strength which could become a really dominant combo. But I think we have to be realistic – only a small % of talented young wingers grow up to become all-around great players. Most enjoy good spells and then get found out – we saw this many times with likes of Townsend, Lennon, Nani, our Babel and countless and forgotten others. If we strike gold twice and Ibe develops into the next Barnes alongside Sterling – well, that's going to be great. We'll be a top team for years to come if we manage to hold on to them. But don't get your hopes up too prematurely, at this point there is no way to know if Ibe will be among those elite 5-10% who manage to find another level. I'm sure he's going to be a good player. But great? Nobody in the world knows that right now.
Another point I want to make is, I think it's wrong to say Ibe has a higher ceiling than Sterling because I don't think Sterling has a ceiling. He has no physical limitations to becoming one of the best players in the world. He just needs to keep his focus and keep improving his dribbling, finishing and decision-making.
I'd argue the only advantage Sterling has over Ibe physically is height and bulk, Sterling is also very fast and very strong, equally so to Ibe imo. When I've seen Ibe play he doesn't seem to rely purely on his pace, I've seen him be tricky too, but the Andros Townsend comparison is certainly a valid one, they seem quite similar at this juncture, and its up to Brendan and the coaches to make sure he develops the right way. I'm hopeful, but like you, I dont think he'll be as good a player as Sterling, but still a very good one, a Sturridge to your Suarez you could say. (No I'm not suggesting Sterling and Ibe will be as good as Suarez and Sturridge)
I think Rurik makes some good cautionary points here. We'll be very lucky if Ibe turns out to be anything like as good as Sterling.
I think that's what you meant, right?
I am not saying he won't be; I am very much hoping he will. And I really like what I see in his limited appearances so far; you're right – he doesn't rely only on pace, for one thing his touch is very good. All I'm saying is that there is absolutely no guarantee he will develop like Sterling and I consider early physical advantage, paradoxically, somewhat of a disadvantage for young players in terms of their long-term development. Too bad I don't have stats to test my theory.
Like I said in another thread, I really want to see more of Ibe; his return makes me look forward to the 2nd half of the season even more. I'll be rooting for him.
Yes indeed, silly me.
Yeah at this stage, as Rosco alluded to, it's almost as likely Ibe will be a "Babel" as much as a "Sterling" but it's great to imagine how good this kid could be, the potential is there.
As Fabio said earlier, Sterling's strong in that he's wiry and can hold off opponents as he's shielding the ball, but he'll never have that sheer mass that lets you barge past opponents on the run. That's the real world advantage of all that muscle.
Personally I also think Ibe's quicker as well, especially over long distances, although clearly that's more of a marginal difference.
The other clear advantage he's got, though, is his shooting, which is already good but can become devastating, while the best Sterling can really hope for is to become a decent finisher.
We need to take a reality check. at the same age as Ibe, Sterling was plundering the epl and either called up for england or on the verge. Ibe is a long way away from that. Sure he has potential, but Sterling is the best young talent in Europe.
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