Sterling gets SOS to bail out strikers
PEP GUARDIOLA is ready to turn to Raheem Sterling to solve his striker crisis.
Manchester City have dominated their opening two Premier League games but have only three goals to show from 33 chances.
They needed Sterling, above, to come off the bench to rescue a point against Everton on Monday after Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero had misfired.
Guardiola admits his forwards are short on confidence. He said: “I’m concerned. I never will doubt Sergio and Gabriel. Even Kevin De Bruyne is a guy who scored 12 to 15 goals last season and made 21, I think.
“We played with 10 men against 11 for more than 50 minutes against Everton and you saw how many chances we created. We had chances against one of the best defensive teams in the Premier League. But we weren’t able to score.
“It’s a little bit like last season. But one day it’s going to click.”
Sterling missed a good chance of his own before finding the net but the City boss is backing him to flourish in a No10 role behind Aguero or Jesus.
The England man played more often as a winger last season but scored three times in pre-season after being switched into the middle.
Guardiola said: “He is so dangerous in that position. I like him to sit there closer to the middle because he commits the central defenders; he is so aggressive in the small spaces.
“In the last four or five games, including pre-season, he scored nearly a goal a game. I hope the goal he scored in the last game can help his confidence.”
Bournemouth striker Jermain Defoe played 90 minutes in midweek cup action and is in contention to make his first start of the league season after being named in the England squad.
“That’s great to see from our perspective because we’ve not seen that too many times,” said Cherries manager Eddie Howe of Defoe’s call-up.
“I’m delighted for Jermain. I know the World Cup is at the forefront of his mind.” REPORTS GYLFI Sigurdsson snorted his derision when someone asked him if he “meant” his wonder goal in Split.
“Of course, I did,” he said with a laugh. “What did you think I was doing? No, I wasn’t trying to cross it because there was no one there.”
With many people wondering whether the Iceland star is worth the £45million clubrecord fee Everton have paid Swansea, his long-range goal – officially measured at 52.7 yards – was the perfect response.
Sigurdsson admits it was not only the best goal of his career but also the most important because of its timing during a nervy second leg, with Everton 1-0 down against a Hajduk Split team – backed by vociferous support in the Pidjul Stadion – smelling blood.
But just 12 seconds into the second half, Sigurdsson effectively killed off the tie with the stunning strike he puts down to instinct as much as technical skill.
It gave Everton a 3-1 aggregate lead and a crucial away goal and, with the kind of glorious understatement footballers tend to use, he said: “I pressed one of their defenders – either the left-back or centre-half – and I managed to get a touch on it and the ball was in the air.
“I thought the keeper would be off his line. I didn’t look to see if he was but I expected him to be off his line because they were in possession of the ball.
“I don’t think there was much else on, I think Wayne Rooney was to my left somewhere, so I just had a go on the goal and thankfully it went in.”
Sigurdsson, exiled from Swansea’s pre-season plans because of his protracted move to Everton, sounded almost as pleased that he had put a full 90 minutes into his fitness tank as he was with the goal that will pay off a hefty chunk of his fee when you consider the revenue from gates, TV and points prize money that will be generated from the six group games.
“The fee was totally out of my hands,” he said. “I think the market is a little bit crazy – no, I don’t think it is a little bit crazy, it is crazy. But I can’t control that.
“It was great to get a full 90 minutes under my belt as well, good for my fitness. I haven’t played many minutes in pre-season. I managed to get 30 minutes at Manchester City the other night and to get 90 minutes in Split was a bit of a shock to the system – the muscles are tired now but it will do me good.”
Sigurdsson has previous for spectacular debut goals, scoring a 35-yard screamer for Reading against Burton in 2009.
“Yes, that was one of my favourites,” he said. “It was a long time ago now.
“It was a very good goal as well but this was better than that because it was more important and on a bigger stage obviously. And