Sterling can’t let miss ruin season
MORE worrying for Pep Guardiola than Raheem Sterling’s astonishing miss at Burnley will be his reaction to it.
And as City resume their league title chase with the visit of Leicester to the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, Sterling will be closely scrutinised – if he plays.
The City star has become a key goalscorer for the Blues this season, one of a handful of players on whom their chase for trophies hinges.
No-one knows what is going on in the England winger’s mind right now, or what Guardiola has said to him about the moment where he sliced his shot wide with the goal at his mercy.
But for City’s sake – and England’s, heading into the World Cup – it is to be hoped he has not dwelt on that negative, but has instead re-focussed his mind on the remarkable improvements he has made in front of goal this season.
And if he needs any reminder that such things happen to the very best, he only need look across the dressing room at Kevin de Bruyne.
Last season the Belgian found himself four yards out, with Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois stranded, and a twogoal lead beckoning.
Victory would have sent City top, but instead De Bruyne’s miss sparked a comeback, a widening of the gap at the top, and eventually a Chelsea title triumph.
De Bruyne has never dwelt on that pivotal moment – so there is no reason Sterling should let his Turf Moor howler affect him.
There was also Sergio Aguero’s double penalty miss against Steaua Bucharest last season, which he followed up with a hat-trick as the Blues won 5-0 in Romania.
Sterling has improved hugely in the box this season, which he recently put down to ‘being in the box much more often, following things in and always trying to be around the box to try and sniff out a goal.’
But the key to bouncing back from his own gaff is contained in his next sentence, when he was adamant that he is still a work in progress.
He described himself as: “A player that’s learning, a player that’s loving his football at the moment. It’s the environment that I’m in.
“I’m just loving it and, hopefully, that can keep happening. I’ve got plenty of room to grow.
“There’s fine things, little details that I need to sharpen up on. It’s something that I’m learning every day, that I’m trying to improve on and I’ll definitely get there.”
Now all he needs to do is follow his own advice, shrug off his miss as part of the same learning curve which De Bruyne, Aguero and every other City legend followed, and get back to the business of winning football matches.