Raheem Sterling says exile from Liverpool first-team made him a better player
Raheem Sterling says his absence from the Liverpool first-team in the early part of the season forced him to take responsibility for his game
Taking responsibility: Raheem Sterling has excelled since returning to the Liverpool side in December Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Chris Bascombe
11:00PM GMT 06 Feb 2014
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Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool winger, admits his brief period of Premier League exile at the start of the season was the wake-up call he needed to fulfil his potential.
Sterling made a superb start to his senior career under Rodgers 18 months ago, but was back on the fringes of first team duty for the early weeks of this campaign.
Since his recall in December, the 19-year-old has become a fixture in the side with club and international captain Steven Gerrard suggesting a World Cup place is within his grasp, especially in the light of Theo Walcott’s serious injury.
The youngster now accepts he was too inhibited prior to his recent revival, but has rediscovered the confidence to express himself.
“I realised I need to stop being shy amongst the senior boys,” said Sterling.
“The best way of proving yourself is on the pitch. I had to be more confident. I wasn’t confident enough to have a shot myself and instead I’d pass it to someone like [Luis] Suarez. I just said to myself that I had to step up and start running at defenders again; taking responsibility. I’ve also had the chance to do that week in, week out. I can feel a bit of momentum now.
“You want to be selected in the team every week. I wasn’t. But I wasn’t getting too worked up about it because I knew there were more experienced players ahead of me.
“I had to be patient. It’s hard getting that balance right. You have to realise you’re playing for Liverpool – a club with top players. There’s always going to be competition. But you can’t just sit back all the time and say ’I need to be patient,’ otherwise that chance might not come. You need to show every single day that you are worth a place in the team.”
Speaking to Liverpool’s match day magazine, Sterling also revealed how the self-analysis extended to assessing DVDs of his performances.
He said: “My agent knows me as well as anyone else; he knows my game, and he asked the club for a couple of DVDs from last season when I’d played well. He wanted to show me the difference. Last season, I’d have beaten a man in two touches and raced away.
“Suddenly, I was going safe; passing to someone else. I didn’t realise I was doing it. I needed to be more confident. You have to respect the senior players around you but you have to stamp your own mark on the game.”
Having been considered for a potential loan deal at the start of this season, manager Rodgers banished any suggestion the winger would be going anywhere when the last transfer window opened. He believes some tough love with Sterling is now yielding reward.
“It’s difficult for a young kid at 17 years of age to burst onto the scene at a club like this through your natural talent,” said Rodgers.
“It happens to every single player there’s going to be a drop off period.
You are seeing a boy who is focused, happy – which is important – and in training he has been unbelievable, so hard and fast. Technically he is getting better. He realises you have to be right every day of your life, not just every game.”
Raheem Sterling says his absence from the Liverpool first-team in the early part of the season forced him to take responsibility for his game
Taking responsibility: Raheem Sterling has excelled since returning to the Liverpool side in December Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Chris Bascombe
11:00PM GMT 06 Feb 2014
Follow
Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool winger, admits his brief period of Premier League exile at the start of the season was the wake-up call he needed to fulfil his potential.
Sterling made a superb start to his senior career under Rodgers 18 months ago, but was back on the fringes of first team duty for the early weeks of this campaign.
Since his recall in December, the 19-year-old has become a fixture in the side with club and international captain Steven Gerrard suggesting a World Cup place is within his grasp, especially in the light of Theo Walcott’s serious injury.
The youngster now accepts he was too inhibited prior to his recent revival, but has rediscovered the confidence to express himself.
“I realised I need to stop being shy amongst the senior boys,” said Sterling.
“The best way of proving yourself is on the pitch. I had to be more confident. I wasn’t confident enough to have a shot myself and instead I’d pass it to someone like [Luis] Suarez. I just said to myself that I had to step up and start running at defenders again; taking responsibility. I’ve also had the chance to do that week in, week out. I can feel a bit of momentum now.
“You want to be selected in the team every week. I wasn’t. But I wasn’t getting too worked up about it because I knew there were more experienced players ahead of me.
“I had to be patient. It’s hard getting that balance right. You have to realise you’re playing for Liverpool – a club with top players. There’s always going to be competition. But you can’t just sit back all the time and say ’I need to be patient,’ otherwise that chance might not come. You need to show every single day that you are worth a place in the team.”
Speaking to Liverpool’s match day magazine, Sterling also revealed how the self-analysis extended to assessing DVDs of his performances.
He said: “My agent knows me as well as anyone else; he knows my game, and he asked the club for a couple of DVDs from last season when I’d played well. He wanted to show me the difference. Last season, I’d have beaten a man in two touches and raced away.
“Suddenly, I was going safe; passing to someone else. I didn’t realise I was doing it. I needed to be more confident. You have to respect the senior players around you but you have to stamp your own mark on the game.”
Having been considered for a potential loan deal at the start of this season, manager Rodgers banished any suggestion the winger would be going anywhere when the last transfer window opened. He believes some tough love with Sterling is now yielding reward.
“It’s difficult for a young kid at 17 years of age to burst onto the scene at a club like this through your natural talent,” said Rodgers.
“It happens to every single player there’s going to be a drop off period.
You are seeing a boy who is focused, happy – which is important – and in training he has been unbelievable, so hard and fast. Technically he is getting better. He realises you have to be right every day of your life, not just every game.”
