We’re not falling for it Raheem
Sterling’s claim City have done ‘brilliantly’ is way off mark
RAHEEMSTERLING’S usually bang on when he speaks out – but was off the mark when he claimed Man City have done “brilliantly” so far this season.
He argued four points from the opening three games is not bad, considering all their problems.
C i ty have had difficulties and what little pre-season they had was hit by Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan testing positive for coronavirus.
They were not helped by Pep Guardiola having to spend the first two weeks of September in quarantine on his return from Spain because of coronavirus restrictions.
Record scorer Sergio Aguero is also still recovering from his knee op in July, while Gabriel Jesus was injured in their first game at Wolves.
Sterling claims all this should be taken into account when City’s start is assessed and that they’ll be much stronger when Jesus and possibly Aguero return after the international break.
“With the players we have, the manager, we might be disappointed but at the same time, we know the circumstances,” he said. “We didn’t have a long pre-season, we’ve come back and there are players not there.
“I think we’ve done brilliantly with the squad we’ve had. When we come back from internationals we’ll have a full squad and be ready to go.”
Aguero and Jesus are undoubtedly big losses and the Blues would have finished off Leeds with them up front during the opening 30 minutes when they were so dominant.
Instead they only had Sterling’s third goal in his last two games to show for their superiority and this did not prove enough when Leeds battled back to equalise through Rodrigo’s first goal for the Whites.
It was almost as if Marcelo Bielsa had copied Muhammad Ali ’s rope- a- dope tactics against George Foreman to put one over his disciple Guardiola.
Leeds let City tire themselves out, mounting attack after attack, before putting the exhausted Blues on to the flat of their backs through Rodrigo’s goal.
Make no mistake, Rodrigo’s blow was no lucky sucker punch and Leeds fully deserved their point.