Sterling has had a poor season, despite his goals and assists. Following the loss of Suarez and the injured Sturridge, Coutinho and Sterling were looked upon to step up another level and push on. Coutinho has, Sterling hasn't - despite stats saying Sterling has contributed more. He still works hard and runs around a lot, but runs down blind alleys constantly, takes on far too many players than he's capable of doing and flops to the ground at minimal contact whereas last season he was putting his shoulder in and winning duels against much bigger players. Fans liked him because of that.
He still has the talent, but he's not done much with it this season. Yes, he's often played out of position, but Coutinho is far better in the 10 role, so tough. He should be out wide cutting in, or next to a striker to run channels, so I do take that into account given he's played almost everywhere. However, he's just not looked good and has dropped significantly since the contract issue.
If he wants to be paid like a 150k player, he needs to play like it. He's not. That's ultimately what it comes down to. We want him to stay (for the most part) but don't want to be fleeced by some hyped up kid who's still got much to learn.
