Priceless Sterling was the answer all along to City’s Kane problem
MUCH of the discussion at the end of the summer transfer window centred on the forwards that Manchester City did not sign. Harry Kane was the most prominent among them; his desire to move to the Etihad Stadium thwarted by the obstinacy of Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, who refused to bow to City’s tens of millions or accede to his star striker’s wishes.
When City realised Kane was beyond their grasp, they were said to have turned their interest to Cristiano Ronaldo, 36 years old but still a goalscorer supreme at Juventus. Quite how strong that interest was remains a moot point but Ronaldo slipped from their grasp, too, choosing to listen to the entreaties of Sir Alex Ferguson and others and return to his former home at Old Trafford.
Noting City’s absence of a recognised centre-forward — Sergio Aguero departed for Barcelona in the close season — many revised their opinion that Pep Guardiola’s side would retain their Premier League title this season and switched horses to Chelsea or Liverpool. City, they felt, would not have the firepower to get the job done against the best opposition.
Their doubts found encouragement
in City’s failure to break down the Tottenham defence in their opening weekend 1-0 defeat, in the early successes of Romelu Lukaku on his return to Chelsea and in the mania that has accompanied Ronaldo’s second coming at Manchester United, where supporters are queuing around the stadium to buy replica shirts with his name on it.
But there is a reason why City remain strong favourites with the bookmakers to win the title for the fourth time in five seasons and it is not that they stuck five goals past a pathetic Arsenal team last Saturday. Brentford battered Arsenal, too. Beating that once-proud club these days is a merely a sign you have a modicum of desire and cohesion. Nothing more.
No, if you wanted to know the reason why City remain favourites to win the league, all you needed to do was watch Raheem Sterling dancing through the Hungary defence in Budapest on Thursday night, scoring and creating the goals that tore them apart and standing defiantly in front of fans who baited him and racially abused him as a hail of plastic cups rained down upon him. Sterling was England’s most dangerous and effective attacker throughout this summer’s European Championship and he continued in that form in the fourth of England’s qualifiers for next year’s World Cup. There were suggestions that he might leave City in the last transfer window but they are fortunate that he is still there.
Sterling is one of the players capable of filling the gap left by Aguero and by the failure to sign Kane. His performances for England suggest he is a player in his prime, a forward who has become a master of harnessing his pace to cause maximum discomfort to opposing defences and who is using his guile more and more intelligently to bring others into the game. With no classic No 9 in their ranks, City are effectively committed to playing a false nine and even if Sterling may still be used on the flanks, he also possesses all the attributes to fill a goalscoring role from a more central position. The nerveless way he slid home England’s opening goal in Budapest was a reminder that he can be the finisher City need.
They have got others who can do it, too. Ferran Torres has been in good form at the start of this season and even if Gabriel Jesus is enjoying playing in a wider role, he has the ability to play more centrally for City, too. With players of the calibre of Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez supplying the ammunition, City are still in pole position for the title.
This can be Sterling’s opportunity to reassert himself at City. There was a perception towards the end of last season that he had fallen from grace at the Etihad. And even though Guardiola picked him to start in the Champions League final against Chelsea in Porto, some pointed to that selection as a reason for City’s poor performance.
Sterling is used to that kind of treatment. His class on the ball was one thing but the imperturbability and dignity he showed in the face of the kind of abuse and provocation that shamed FIFA and UEFA for allowing recidivist fans to be in the stadium so it could happen in the first place spoke of a man of impressive maturity.
There is still a tendency to damn Sterling with faint praise. Many seemed surprisingly resigned to the idea of him being used as a makeweight in a deal to get Kane to the Etihad. Many seemed surprisingly resigned to the idea that he would get even fewer opportunities at City once Grealish arrived from Aston Villa for £100million.
Sterling’s performance against Hungary was a gesture of defiance in that regard, too. He is not ready to shuffle away from the centre of the stage just yet. He is smack bang in his prime; a polished diamond of a talent. City may have cast around for a new goalscorer in the summer in the quest to retain their title but Sterling is giving them more and more evidence that the answer lies within.