Sterling has to deal with abuse by old fans
PEP GUARDIOLA says he won’t use the abuse dished out to Raheem Sterling at Anfield as an excuse to leave out the England winger against Liverpool today.
Sterling, who became a hate figure among Liverpool fans after leaving them for Manchester City in 2015, has never scored against his former club and was left on the bench for the last game at Anfield in April.
But Guardiola insists the reasoning was tactical rather than to protect Sterling, and believes the 23-year-old will have to learn to cope with the hostile atmosphere.
‘I don’t think about him differently for this game because he’s a former Liverpool player,’ said Guardiola. ‘Maybe it’s affected him before, maybe it hasn’t, we haven’t spoken about it. But even if that happened when he was so young, he has to learn.
‘Of course Liverpool fans want him to play bad. But no, I don’t do that (leave him out because of fans’ pressure).’
England manager Gareth Southgate has also backed Sterling to overcome any hurdles that come his way.
‘Life in sport is about developing resilience,’ he said. ‘There is no smooth path. The top players all have to overcome setbacks.
‘He’s dealt with it really well for someone who is still young. There is always another level to go and I’ve no doubt he can take that challenge on.’
Sterling has failed to score in eight games against Liverpool but Southgate says he offers a lot more than just goals. He said: ‘Defenders are frightened by speed. He was able to stretch defences in the summer (at the World Cup). He worked incredibly hard without the ball.’