RAHEEM REBORN
City winger is flying again after Pep’s words of wisdom
THere is no complicated science behind raheem Sterling’s resurgence for Manchester City.
‘take on your man. Beat him. don’t turn backwards. If you do, you’re off.’ those were Pep Guardiola’s instructions during a pre-season heart-to-heart.
Heeding his manager’s words of wisdom, Sterling has not looked back and the winger is rampant right now. Just ask Monaco’s defence, who could not get near him in City’s 5- 3 Champions league win on tuesday.
this is the Sterling we want to see. Pace, power, intelligence and end product. the kid who ripped Premier league defences apart during liverpool’s gallant title challenge in 2014. now he is flourishing at City with nine goals and 11 assists this season.
Guardiola thinks he has something special in Sterling and he has always believed in him. One of his first tasks when he took over at the etihad last summer was to phone the 22-year-old during euro 2016. Sterling was made a scapegoat by some england fans for the poor performances in France.
Guardiola, however, knew the talent he had and told Sterling as much. It was an arm round the shoulder Sterling will never forget and he has been repaying that faith ever since.
Sterling has bought into the Spaniard’s methods. Press high up the pitch and cause havoc when you have the ball.
the £49million winger’s role was much more regimented under previous manager Manuel Pellegrini, who preferred his players to make a pass rather than take risks. this perhaps explains why Sterling’s first season at the etihad did not hit the heights some expected.
‘It was difficult because I didn’t feel I could play my natural game,’ Sterling said earlier this season. ‘ everyone was a two- touch king under Pellegrini. the whole training session was based on two touches. I wasn’t able to dribble. I like to take players on but you can’t do that with two touches.’
His remit under Guardiola, however, is much more to Sterling’s liking, although the licence to thrill does not come without restrictions. express yourself, try new tricks — as long as it is during an attacking phase of play. If you lose the ball, show as much passion for retrieving it as you did when trying to beat the defender.
as long as Guardiola is happy his attacker is grafting for his team, he will forgive the mistakes. It is an ethos that has provided Sterling with the platform to bolster his reputation as one of europe’s best attacking talents.
He is happy to acknowledge Guardiola’s impact on his career but the player must take a great deal of the credit. Sterling has an inquisitive mind, he wants to learn and will actively seek answers from his superiors in the pursuit of perfection.
Speaking in his role as a Bt Sport pundit, Steven Gerrard, who captained Sterling during liverpool’s failed title tilt three years ago, was unwavering in his praise of the attacker.
‘I worked with him every day and I know what he puts into his training,’ said Gerrard. ‘I know how much he wants to learn, he goes to managers and people for advice and he is prepared to improve his game and he listens.
‘But what he does is he works for the team both ways, he does a hell of a shift defensively but he also breaks the line with running.
‘He’s aggressive and starting to add assists and goals to his game. He is getting to that point now where you will have to start describing him as one of the best.’