The arrows are not exactly pointing upwards for Raheem Sterling today, by the way, they haven’t done that for a long time!
Former Dutch international René van der Gijp has come to terms with Raheem Sterling after another poor performance for Feyenoord, and recommends the striker to put his boots on the shelf and “just go to Ibiza”.
Sterling ended his stay at Chelsea by mutual agreement at the end of January and then signed for Feyenoord in a free transfer, despite reported interest from clubs such as West Ham, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
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The 31-year-old did not play a single minute for Chelsea in the first part of the season after returning from a disappointing loan spell at Arsenal, and looked abroad in the hope of reviving his career.
But Sterling, once considered one of the finest attacking talents in English football, has mostly disappointed in his first five games in the Dutch Eredivisie.
An assist in Feyenoord’s turnaround against Excelsior is currently Sterling’s only direct goal contribution for his new club – a statistic the four-time Premier League winner will improve on after the international break.
Sterling was particularly unconvincing against Ajax at the weekend, and Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie had seen enough when he replaced the winger with Leo Sauer after 55 minutes, while his team looked for an equaliser.
That equaliser eventually came late in the game when Jakub Moder scored on a penalty kick and cancelled out Sean Steur’s opening goal, leaving second-placed Feyenoord with a 1-1 draw and one point.
Discussing Sterling’s unimpressive performance in Rotterdam, former PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands winger Van der Gijp said in the Willem & Wessel podcast:
“He should just go to Robin van Persie and say: ‘Let’s stop this. This is not going to work. This is not good for me, for you or for the club.”
“You don’t really help anyone with this.
“He should just go to Ibiza, put on his swimming trunks and eat a delicious paella with his wife.
“Then he would have had a brilliant time. But this is not going to work for him anymore. What a shame.
Van der Gijp’s podcast colleague Willem van Hanegem agreed that Sterling seemed to be past his prime, and that Feyenoord should perhaps cut losses.
“He just wasn’t there again, no. If I were them, I would ask for my money back and say: just go home,” the former Feyenoord and Netherlands midfielder argued.
“You shouldn’t expose a player like that to that. He used to be a good player; He was still fit and fast, but that’s about it. If he hits you, he falls over. Isn’t that strange?
“You shouldn’t do that as a player either. If he lacks speed and has the ball, they run right over him. It’s pointless.
Despite Sterling’s obvious problems, Van Hanegem does not believe that the Englishman will be scrapped for Feyenoord’s next game against FC Volendam.
“We’re not waiting for that, because we’ve already said six times that he’s not good enough,” he added.
“I don’t think it’s just us, but many.
After Feyenoord’s draw against Ajax, Van Persie admitted that he would like to see Sterling make more of an impact, both with and without the ball.
“The most important thing is to win games in this period while Raheem is getting better and better,” the former Arsenal, Manchester United and Netherlands striker told reporters shortly after the game.
“I respect and acknowledge where he comes from, but at the same time we have to deliver as a club. We have to finish second, it’s that simple.
“I think he’s making progress in terms of form, and in terms of what he delivers.
“At the same time, I want to see more impact without the ball, more impact with the ball.
Sterling signed a short-term deal with Feyenoord this winter, which expires at the end of the season.
