MX23RW : Friday, November 15 23:28:00| >> :60:991:991:

Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool must "protect" Raheem Sterling

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists that the club will try to "protect" Raheem Steling from the weight of expectation after impressing while on international duty.

Brendan Rodgers has said that Liverpool must "protect" Raheem Sterling from the weight of expectation for both club and country.

The midfielder earned plaudits for his performance during England's win over Switzerland in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier earlier this week, and has also featured heavily for the Reds at the start of the Premier League season.

The manager told the Liverpool Echo: "I've spoken to Raheem about it this week. I must say he handles it very well. He's just taking it all in his stride. He's a very mature boy. He's a good kid who has grown up very quickly in the last two years. He's very grounded.

"His talent is doing all the talking for him. He's in a really exciting time at this club and in an exciting team. It's our job here to protect him as we want him to still be playing at the top of his game when he gets to his peak years between 28 and 31.

"In terms of where he's at, we just need to be careful. It would very foolish for anyone to start focusing solely on Raheem, because England need a team, they don't need just one player. We've seen it over the years with young players. One minute that player is the world's best, the next minute he gets crucified. Raheem will make mistakes, he will have bad games, but he will also have outstanding games."

Liverpool face Aston Villa in the Premier League tomorrow evening.

ID:176332: cacheID:176332:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2561:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Iker Casillas of Real Madrid lifts the Champions League trophy during the UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio da Luz on May 24, 2014
Read Next:
Champions League 2014-15: Group B preview
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!