Man City Square
Fansided

World Cup Rankings: 4 to 1

By James Fudge

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 14: Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium talk to John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph of England during a pitch inspection prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia 3rd Place Playoff match between Belgium and England at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 14, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 14: Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium talk to John Stones, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph of England during a pitch inspection prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia 3rd Place Playoff match between Belgium and England at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 14, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

Raheem Sterling has not been a popular England squad member amongst journalists and non-City fans as he seems to have been made an easy target for abuse and criticism for some unapparent reason this summer.

The gun tattoo made headlines prior to the tournament, with the player unfairly having to justifying his choice of ink.

SAMARA, RUSSIA – JULY 07: Raheem Sterling of England is challenged by Victor Lindelof of Sweden during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Quarter Final match between Sweden and England at Samara Arena on July 7, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
SAMARA, RUSSIA – JULY 07: Raheem Sterling of England is challenged by Victor Lindelof of Sweden during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Quarter Final match between Sweden and England at Samara Arena on July 7, 2018 in Samara, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /

However, the Jamaican born star ignored any criticism and performed admirably on the pitch. My assessment of Sterling’s performances was not the stand-out but he should had earned more merits. He was unfairly criticised as he failed to hit the back of net during the tournament, with many calling for Marcus Rashford to replace him before they even got to Russia.

You have to bear in mind, the former Liverpool star was not playing in his favoured position out wide due to the formation and was not playing with the creative midfield base he is so used to in Manchester.

Therefore, the player features highly on the list of 16 as he regularly gave opposition defences problems with his speed and running in behind the defence, allowing England to push up further the field and dominate the game against weaker technical opponents. Pressed from the front and applied heat on the defenders who wanted their turn to control the games.

The quarterfinal against Sweden was his best game as he rarely gave Andreas Granqvist and Victor Lindelof a break when he put on the burners in fifth gear and push them deeper and deeper.

It was evident that as soon as the forward came off against Croatia for his like-for-like replacement, England were facing an uphill battle to remain in the tournament. Croatia’s midfield ran the show and there was no output left for England to rely on.

A campaign for his international team to be proud of. His development under Pep Guardiola and a little work on his technical ability will help him star in future tournaments and hopefully, come home with a winners medal.

Home/World Cup