Rangers ace Joey Barton’s comments over Raheem Sterling appeared to take a dig at Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers’ coaching, from his time at Liverpool.
Burnley’s Joey Barton acknowledges the crowd after the final whistle
Joey Barton is not shy of expressing his opinions, and was particularly forthright after England’s embarrassing Euro 2016 exit against Iceland this week.
In his crosshairs was winger Raheem Sterling, who played poorly at the tournament and looked a shadow of the player Manchester City thought they were buying for £49 million last summer.
England’s Raheem Sterling in action
Barton believes Sterling’s poor displays are down to ‘poor coaching’, suggesting it is not simply a case of poor form.
He told L’Equipe, reported by The Mirror: “Raheem Sterling has been poor for two years now. Unfortunately, he has not been coached well enough. If you take away his pace, he is really weak, very limited technically.”
In addition to last season’s Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini… the other club manager in charge of Sterling over the past two years is none other than new Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers had three full seasons working with Sterling at Liverpool in all, with the winger eventually deciding he wanted out and forcing through a move to City.
New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the press conference
Barton’s comments can be construed in a different way, but it would not be the first time he has taken a pop at Rodgers, the new boss of Rangers’ rivals Celtic.
He was quoted by the Scottish Sun last month commenting on his lack of silverware, stating: “I’m not trying to stir the pot here, I’m being realistic — Brendan has never won a trophy, he’s never won anything.
“He’s going to have to do stuff up there he hasn’t done before.”
Barton also criticised Rodgers’ coaching and signings in 2014, quoted by The Star, after Liverpool’s poor start to the season.
He said: “How can you sell Luis Suarez and replace him with Mario Balotelli?
“Brendan knew how big the void was – 30 goals – and no disrespect to Rickie Lambert but he should not be starting for Liverpool.”
It is no surprise to see he has taken another dig, whether intentional or not.
Burnley’s Joey Barton
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