A few short months ago, Raheem Sterling was being held up as the poster boy for extravagant indulgence and wasteful talent. Brought in from Liverpool to Man City after he literally agitated for such a move, the league’s most expensive English acquisition showed some tantalizing glimpses of his pace and ball skills without any benefit to him or to his team mates.
Stuck out on the left, Sterling would be the forgotten man on attack, with occasional glimpses of a blistering run taking on the defence, only to lose the ball, misplace the pass, or snatch wildly at his shot. Last season, in 31 league appearances, he only managed 6 goals and 2 assists. For a 20 year old, that’s not exactly miserable but for a $70m sticker price, one would not have to be an expert on cost benefit analysis issuing a damning verdict on such stats. Sterling by the end of the season had lost his place in the line up and was widely considered one of the worst signings.
The circumstances of his arrival at the Etihad did not help with Sterling earning a reputation as an avaricious money grubber with his unsanctioned BBC appearance rejecting Liverpool’s bid to keep him even as the Reds upped his salary to $140,000 a week, claiming it was about self actualization and ambition; not money. He was criticized by Brendan Rodgers for putting Liverpool on the spot by taking these internal negotiations public.
By that time, City with its deep pockets had come knocking as Aidy Ward, Sterling’s agent insisted he was not going to stay at Anfield even if paid ridiculous amounts. Sterling was already plummeting out of favour with Liverpool fans and when he left, his abject performances were pounced in with glee. The Capital One final brought out their collective sense of betrayal, “one greedy bastard” they chanted and Sterling contrived to produce not just one miss of the season but two. Liverpool might have lost that final but the “I told you he was useless” brigade were vindicated. And so to a chorus of disapproval from club stalwarts like Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, and Graeme Souness, the great English hope made his departure.
Under Manuel Pellegrini’s courtly but laissez faire tutelage a season spent honing Sterling’s raw talent, instead became a cautionary but yet another embarrassing tale of financial doping creating over expectations and failure to deliver. Pellegrini himself was pre-empted of any investment as he was given his marching orders with Pep Guardiola’s arrival announced well ahead of time. Sterling would have to be the Spaniard’s project if and this was a huge caveat, he wasn’t to become marginalized and considered part of a cleanout. But Guardiola is a different breed. He is in the mould of the Ajax- Barcelona mentorship, painstaking and micromanaged player development that has given Leo Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi. The names most associated with Guardiola’s successful reign at Barcelona. Sterling might not be of that caliber but he probably represents the best in English talent. Given his record price tag, his mountainous wages, and his youth, you can appreciate why Khaldoon Al Mubarak would be keen to see Sterling live up to his potential.
The changes seen look promising even so early in the season. Under Guardiola’s fast and fluid configurations which have full backs cut in to fill midfield and high pressing allows for constant recycling, Sterling has seen more of the ball playing more to the right and to centre with Nolito shifting to the left. This has allowed for greater mobility and penetration creating more scoring opportunities and in better positions. So far, the strategy had paid off and Sterling in 3 matches has scored two goals and created an assist, including the opener against West Ham and a late goal after the visitors looked like pulling off a fine comeback.
The 21 year old looks much more assured on the ball and decisive in his finishing. The opener came off a classic David Silva move with Nolito providing a well measured cut back for the arriving Sterling to shift weight onto his left and curl the ball with his right past the onrushing defender and into goal. The third and final goal came off Sterling own high jinking moves which had Adrian leap out of his comfort zone and spotting the narrowest of angles, the striker squeezed the ball over the goal line. There have been marked improvements in dribbles, passes made, and shots on goal. Sterling now covers 30% more ground than last season (increasing 5 miles to 8 miles), a strong indicator of his involvement and mobility. He’s been an important cog in Guardiola’s flawless debut and if these indicators hold- enhance City’s cutting edge on attack and back on course towards realizing his considerable talent.