Raheem Sterling and Rebuilding Expectation

By: Noel | February 15th, 2011

From perhaps lingering too long on the past to too eagerly anticipating a likely still distant future, and all in the course of a couple of hours. Perhaps tomorrow we’ll have to focus on the now a little bit, but in the meantime it’s time to get way too excited about the possibility that another member of Liverpool’s academy might be able to make an impact with the first team in two or three years. Take it away, Raheem Sterling:

In the past its been the likes of Pacheco and Jack Robinson and Suso who have gotten all the press clippings, and there have also been some recent rumblings as to the bright future of Conor Coady. In any case, it’s been impossible to ignore the sudden resurgence and growing optimism surrounding the Liverpool academy as the massive changes brought in during the 09-10 season’s stumble towards seventh place seem to be showing quite positive early returns.

As has been touched on before, there has been suggestion in some quarters that the rebuilt academy–even more than Istanbul and Athens–could be the former manager’s most lasting legacy with the club. At the time, many noted that the development of youth prospects under Benitez had slowed to a barely existent trickle, using it as another stick with which to beat at the embattled Spaniard. However, the reality of the situation was that for most of his time with the club Benitez had very little control over the academy, at least until his final year when he took on yet another behind the scenes political battle to seize control. Taking on one more fight, one more bit of maneuvering that distracted from his primary task of guiding the first team in the league, may have also been one final nail in his coffin. But if the sudden upsurge in quality at the academy this year is anything to go by, the results have well proven that such a drastic overhaul was indeed needed.

Now Liverpool have Rodolfo Borrell and Jose Segura in charge, the men who ran Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy while current stars as diverse as Xavi and Iniesta and Messi and Pedro and Busquets and Pique and Fabregas and on and on and on were learning their trade. Now there are a wave of new young signings from Shelvey and Wilson at the top end to new youngsters like Suso and Silva and Sterling, the latest revelation at the under-18 level after the above performance against Southend in the FA Youth Cup. Not to mention that existing prospects like Coady or Robinson will by the time they have a realistic chance of breaking into the first team have played four or even five years in a system that prizes technical football above all else–a youth set up that now looks to Barcelona’s pass and move, right down to the people who run it, rather than the typical all action no plot British youth set up, though as with past iterations of Liverpool it will still attempt to wed this continental approach to some of the things that set English football apart.

People have sometimes wondered about the long term identity FSG, John Henry, Damien Comolli, and all the rest might seek to stamp on Liverpool, with much talk of Arsenal connections early on, but it may well be that that future identity was set out last season when Rafa Benitez spent the dregs of his political capital to redevelop the academy and leave a pair of Barcelona gurus in charge.

Of course, one always does need to be cautious when looking at the development of youth players. Most won’t make the final step up, and amongst those with the quality to do so their development can still be irreparably damaged by being pushed to do too much too soon. Even a player like Messi, widely considered to be the best in the world and though he made cameo appearances as early as seventeen, didn’t become a fairly regular contributor with Barcelona until he was nineteen and a week-in week-out starter until a year later. That may still seem ridiculously young to many, but Raheem Sterling is only sixteen and already on the back of one grand display–his Owen moment of dominance at the youth level–you can’t trawl too many Liverpool-centric corners of the web without stumbling across somebody wondering if perhaps he shouldn’t at the very least get a spot on the bench for one of the upcoming matches against Sparta Praha.

It’s certainly nice to be able to look to a potentially bright future after years in the wilderness at the youth level, and it’s nice to occasionally watch highlights of a men-amongst-boys masterful performance and wonder what it might signal for the future, but a little bit of patience will still be required before members of Liverpool’s revamped academy might realistically be expected to start making their way into the first team.

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Category: Premier League, Team News

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Grubb

Interesting that Sterling has made the Europa squad and that Suso hasn't. I have had the idea for a while now that Suso is probably the best prospect coming through the ranks - he's the one turning heads at reserves level, while Sterling is still playing U18s.

Still it's good to see these boys coming through, hope a couple of them can crack the big time and become massive stars for us.
Noel

I'm under the impression that part of registering Sterling is down to his age or time with the club or some such FIFA regulation that doesn't apply to every player in the same way. How it affects Suso, I honestly don't know, but keep in mind the fine print may not be quite the same.

In any case, a new post is scheduled to go up in about two hours. It may at least mention Sterling in passing. It also may use Chelsea as a kind of linchpin, which I'm suddenly vaguely nervous about.
Liverpool Football Blog

We must have one of the best youth academy's in the country now, surely?

Your right, Sterling's a superstar in the making but I don't think we should thrust him in at the deep end just yet.

If he were to get the call up to the first team and played poorly, it would really dent his confidence.

Like Khaine said, I think Ryan Babel played first team football too quickly. He needed guidance and time for his confidence to grow by playing week in, week out. After sitting on the bench for so long, he lost touch and when he did play everyone was saying he was rubbish.

It's better to let Sterling's confidence grow playing in the reserves until he's absolutely ready for the Premiership. We don't want him sitting on the first team bench every week, he needs to be honing his skills in the lower grades first and then when the times right, give him a go.
Smitty_w

nice work on the chelski site :)
Ed

As far as all that goes, actually, it'd be great for us if that type of thing wasn't celebrated over here--sense of community for the Offside blogs and all that.

Obviously we aren't here to try to control what or how you post elsewhere, but we've been all about promoting sensible dialogue that furthers the conversation along here and elsewhere (with the occasional "fuck" thrown in for feeling). I think that's what makes this site somewhat unique, and I think Jack, and more recently Jamie and Devin, have done similarly over at the Chelsea site. I'm sure they'd be open for discussion if that's what you're looking for, but if it's along the "Chelski R tha wurzzt" lines I doubt they'll be too impressed.

Long story short, up to you to post whatever you want wherever you want, but we're here to focus on Liverpool. And drinking. And video compilations with house music. But mostly the drinking.
Liverpool Football Blog

I'll try and be good
Ed

Gold star, then.
Smitty_w

it was a good laugh and mostly true but agreed if we start slinging mud some of it's bound to stick
Noel

Jack, the main guy behind the Chelsea Offside site, called me a prick without provocation and has talked of all Liverpool fans as being scum in the past on his Twitter account. That sure as hell sticks. In my mind at least. Especially since he's never even considered apologising. Meanwhile he's given as good as he's gotten on his most recent post while spending the last few hours crying on Twitter about it. Me, I'd break out the multi-verse's smallest violin, but Ed's a much better person than I am.

And Ed's right, there's really no need to sink to his level, since he clearly enjoys such juvenile mud slinging and will just laugh at the end of the day when you give him extra hits and comments. So just be better than that, and try not to worry about Chelsea--because there's only one club that matters at the end of the day, and it's not his.
Ed

Oh, I just saw his latest post, so render all my previous comments null and void. Can't be the victim and the asshole.
Khaine

Reposting my thoughts from the other thread:

Been watching him all year. Absolute menace. All the tools to become a complete all-star; pace, acceleration, trickery, always improving his finishing, crossing and decisions. Also comes at players differently; go left, cut right, cross early, go to byline, play through ball etc. Doesn't seem to get injured easily, despite taking a ton of late hits from much bigger players; a very underrated quality.

My great fear is that this kid loses the drive to improve and becomes Ryan Babel. Hopefully Rodolfo keeps him on his toes (and from the post-match interview, I'm guessing he does).
Eddie

lol my previous comment was so good that noel makes a post on it. *pat myself on the back.
Noel

Right, well, that tends to work better when you aren't patting yourself on the back. So consider this a back-patting assist, though Justin also deserves a pat for a comment that spurred me to thinking about revisiting the topic of the revitalized academy back on Monday.
Justin

Boom.
Armour

the lad looks great but give him time to develop we will reap the rewards bright future susso sterling lets not forget a young man called kelly and another carrol
John

I just love conor coady. He's just got such a steven gerrard mold on him, right down to the scouse incomprehensibility at the post match interviews. I will sing his name when he leads us to premier league crown after premier league crown.
Russell

I like what I see from Andre Wisdom, as well. He's strong, fast, and intelligent.
Red2death

"... wondering if perhaps he shouldn’t at the very least get a spot on the bench for one of the upcoming matches against Steaua Bucharest"

Against Sparta you mean.

We already played Steaua during the dark ages...
Noel

That's embarrassing--I'll go change it. Thanks for the spot.
Red2death

It does seem that Rafa one day hopes to return to the Liverpool dugout. He was evidently in it for the long haul, and I'm sure he'd love to reap the rewards of his changes at the academy, rather than just observing the fruits of his labor from the outside.
Smitty_w

I would make him director of football that job seems to be taken though . Only one spot open at the minute and why not i say
Yann

In the immortal words of Catherine Tate - "How very dare you!"
Smitty_w

na im talking boardroom not dugout lol
Yann

Well that's a fucking relief!
Tawfiq

As I told one of my friends today we will see the new John Barnes and some great new prospects from the Academy!! I was refering to Raheem as the new John Barnes..
I like him already ;)