Sterling’s tough test
NEW SIGNINGS THREAT TO WINGER’S PLACE
RAHEEM Sterling faces a pivotal season as his position at City comes under the greatest threat since his £49m move to the Etihad.
The England international needs to convince Pep Guardiola he can form part of his strongest attack at a time when the City manager is continuing pursuits for Alexis Sanchez and Kylian Mbappe.
The £43m signing of Bernardo Silva already poses a clear and present danger to Sterling’s chances of regular first-team football. While Guardiola’s determination to further strengthen his forward line is evidence of his own misgivings about his current options.
Guardiola gave his approval to Sterling’s move from Liverpool 12 months before taking over City.
And he made a point of calling the forward during his miserable Euro 2014 to assure him that he remained a key part of his plans at the club.
But heading into the new campaign Sterling is uncertain of a starting role against Brighton on Saturday – and faces a fight to figure prominently in an attack already awash with options – even before the possible arrival of Sanchez or Mbappe.
With Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane and Silva all competing to be part of a front three, Guardiola has the luxury of leaving big names out on a weekly basis.
Sterling’s job is to ensure he doesn’t become the easiest option to omit.
Silva’s outstanding performances for Monaco last season convinced Guardiola to make the Portuguese playmaker his first signing of a summer of overhaul.
The move was particularly notable given City’s abundance of riches in attacking midfield.
That was a measure of just how much Guardiola wanted to bring him to the club when the priority was always to address his defence.
While he can play in a more withdrawn role, he is likely to get more opportunities on the right as Guardiola makes room for David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho and Yaya Toure.
That is the threat to Sterling at a time when Jesus may also be pushed out wide to accommodate Aguero in the centre.
Sanchez’s ability to play wide is one of the main qualities that make him so attractive to Guardiola – and while Sterling can also operate on the left, Sane looked to make that position his own in the second half of last season. Guardiola’s intention is to build a squad capable of challenging on all fronts, which is why his spending could exceed £300m this summer. He wants to be able to regularly rotate his players both domestically and in Europe without weakening his side. As such, Sterling will get his chances. But when he became the most expensive Englishman of all time two summers ago, the anticipation was that he would become a ‘crack player,’ as Manuel Pellegrini put it. At City so far he has only shown flashes of that quality, without producing the type of consistent campaign that saw him burst on to the scene at Liverpool. Guardiola was drawn to his raw potential, ability to attack at speed out wide and through the middle. He produced his best form in a City shirt in his opening weeks under the Catalan but by the end of last season, it was Sane and Gabriel Jesus who took the plaudits. Despite making 41 starts last season he scored one less than his career-best 11 the previous year. They are the sort of statistics Guardiola will be aware of as he bids to turn his side into a more clinical attacking force.
The £43m signing of Silva poses a clear and present danger to Sterling’s chances James Robson