Rangers star Dujon Sterling reveals secret behind Viaplay Cup midfield masterclass – and it’s not all down to Clement
DUJON STERLING has revealed the secret behind his marvellous midfield Viaplay Cup final display.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t just Philippe Clement masterclasses at Auchenhowie that helped the defender turn in a man-of-the-match performance at Hampden.
Instead, it was watching countless hours of YouTube videos of his old Chelsea hero Michael Essien in action.
Sterling motored through the youth ranks at Stamford Bridge, learning to adapt to different positions under the guidance of Under-21 coaches Adi Viveash and Joe Edwards.
Rangers are now reaping the benefits of those formative lessons, with Sterling shining in the middle of the park in their crucial Europa League victory against Betis and then again in the Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen.
As well as those early midfield shifts in London, the 24-year-old has been brushing up on the position by going on a deep dive of videos of former Chelsea legend Essien and Man City star Yaya Toure to learn the finer details of the job from a couple of Premier League maestros.
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The right-back believes that’s helping him increasingly make his new position his own.
Sterling said: “I’m learning to play in midfield day by day.
“When the manager chucked me in there against Dundee, that was the first time I’d ever played there.
“I’d never even trained there once. Hopefully as the season goes on I’ll continue to grow into a better player there.
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“When I was at Chelsea when I was younger, I was taught to play in every position. I’ve been trying to think back to then and bring that into my game now.
“I’m going onto the training pitch trying to learn every day, watching guys like Sam Lammers as well who is a good example to follow.
“Viveash and Edwards were the main two influences at Chelsea.
“When I was younger I used to play up quite a few age groups.
“They taught me to play in different positions and trusted me to do that.
“Because we’re lacking numbers in midfield at the moment, it’s definitely helping that I can go in there and help out. At home I have been watching YouTube clips of midfielders and trying to see what they do.
“I am just trying to learn, even though maybe ten games down the line I might not play there.
“I still need to learn it now and it will help me if he does need to slot me back in there.
“Michael Essien and Yaya Toure — they are the two main ones. Essien because he was at Chelsea when I was there and I used to go to games and watch him all the time and in training and stuff.
“Toure too was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. I am not in the position everyone thought I would be in when I joined, but it is working.”
Sterling again found himself featuring in his newfound midfield role against St Johnstone on Wednesday night.
While it wasn’t a vintage display from the team, winning 2-0 against Craig Levein’s stubborn side was all that mattered with the three points crucially cutting the gap to rivals Celtic at the top of the table.
Sterling is hoping to wrap up maximum points again this afternoon at Fir Park against struggling Motherwell.
He said: “Wednesday could have gone wrong if we had switched off and hadn’t focused. We could have lost the game. It is about taking each game at a time and then trying to deliver the three points.
“It will be the same on Sunday. It is a different task, a different game, different players, but we are still the same team and we try and do what we do.
“I think when you are playing at right-back or left-back, all you have on the outside is the touchline. Whereas now I am in midfield I basically do a 360 and scan all the time to see who is over my shoulder.
“As soon as I got that into my head, I was able to just play the game.”
Though happy to help out in midfield while injuries continue to reduce Clements’ options, Sterling won’t rule out returning to his favoured right-back role in the future.
Even if that means displacing ever-present James Tavernier, a player he greatly admires.
Sterling added: “You never know with football. I know if he needs me to do a job for the last ten minutes at right-back, I can do that again.
“It’s a credit to Tav. Even though I’m not training at right-back just now, I’m still learning from him every day.
“He’s been doing so well for a long time and I’m lucky to have him to look up to.
“Philippe Clement trusts me because he sees what I can do in training.
“I can win the ball back easily, I can dribble past players and drive with the ball.
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“I can make the right decisions, when to press forward and when to hold.
“He trusts I can translate that into games and it’s going well because we haven’t lost yet and we’re playing really well.”
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