As proven by quotes from the Guardian, Raheem Sterling and Brendan Rodgers have a healthy relationship, contrary to popular belief.
As much as it pains me to say so, Raheem Sterling was a superb player for Liverpool in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. His speed and versatitlity across the forward line meant that in Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge’s absence, Liverpool were able to cope to some extent.
In the 2013/14 season, as heartbreaking as it was towards the end, it was filled with excitement and allowed fans a taste of the top-tier of English football that had been lacking for a few years.
Many attribuite the success of that season to Luis Suarez due to the Uruguuyan’s genius and magical touch. That would be unfair, however, as there were many players in that team who performed specific roles to near perfection.
18 years old at the time, Sterling was part of a three-pronged attack, along with Suarez and Sturridge, that, quite literally, put the fear of God in defenders across England.
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Sterling has spoken of his appreciation for Pep Guardiola and about how the Spanish coach has restored the Jamaican-born Englishman to form in a Sky-Blue jersey.
“The manager [Guardiola] has told me to enjoy scoring goals and seeing the ball go into the back of the net. He gives everyone the confidence, not just me,” Sterling said, according to the Guardian.
“He gives everyone the belief and the motivation. His speech before [the game v Swansea] was fantastic and it means that when you go out on to the pitch you are really fired up for the game.
While Sterling has a lot of time for Pep Guardiola, he believes Brendan Rodgers deserves just as much credit given the impact he had on the winger’s career.
“He was massive for me. I try to learn from every manager I work with and he is a man I definitely learned a lot from,” Sterling said. “When he first moved from Liverpool I spoke to him then and have spoken to him a couple of times since. I have changed my number a couple of times since then, so I look forward to catching up with him and hopefully getting his new number.
“When he first moved from Liverpool I spoke to him then and have spoken to him a couple of times since. I have changed my number a couple of times since then, so I look forward to catching up with him and hopefully getting his new number.
“He is a fantastic guy. He played me in different positions to help me understand those roles and what it took. He gave me a lot of confidence. It will be good to see him again and I wish him well – but on the day it all comes down to winning the game.”
Liverpool sold Sterling for £49 million to Manchester City and many fans still harbour grudges towards the 21-year-old as a result of the manner in which he left for City. It’s nice to see, as disappointing as his departure was, that he is still friendly towards Rodgers as many don’t seem to believe this is the case.