When Pep Guardiola was announced as Manchester City manager at the start of the year, the biggest concern for most City fans was the fact that a lot of the current players would have faced the axe of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager and there was a lot of fear for Raheem Sterling, in particular, amongst the sea of stars at the Etihad.
What has culminated has been the opposite as the forward has become one of the players that has turned some pretty decent performances for Manchester City and does seem to actually reach his potential if he continues playing in the same way that he has started this season.
No one expected Pep Guardiola to have such a big impact on a player that many saw was struggling last season, especially in terms of finishing and decision making. Sterling was also one of the players who was roundly booed off every time he touched the ball in Euro 2016 and with England getting knocked out by Iceland, it was no surprise that the former Liverpool man was linked with a move away from the Etihad but nothing of that sort seems set to happen now.
Before their Champions League tie against Steaua Bucharest, Guardiola was quoted by the Guardian as he shed light on how Sterling seems to be working hard to ensure he does well on the pitch.
“He showed me from the start that he is strong, mentally strong. He has just focused on his job,” the head coach said. “That’s it. When that happens he is going to do good things for us and the England national team. I’m pretty sure of that.
“Just focus and the people will stop talking about what happened off the pitch [the protracted transfer], and just talk about what happens on the pitch. Everything is going well, I’m pretty sure of that.”
Sterling was considered as one of the worst signings from last season and it did seem that Manchester City had made a huge mistake by paying the £49 million for the 21-year-old. The zip and quickness on and off the ball was still there but the final ball and the final shot by the England international seemed to be missing but this is all changing for the better now.
Guardiola does have a history of doing well with young players and his time at Bayern Munich will always be remembered with how he made Joshua Kimmich a star in the Munich side, even though the German had barely played for the Bundesliga side earlier.
Now Kimmich is a starter for Germany and was the first choice in the national side for Euro 2016 also, no one could have predicted that.
Sterling has all the abilities that can make him a success in a Guardiola side. His pace and running will certainly have impressed the Spaniard but if he can fixate his passing and finishing to that season where he did so well for Liverpool, Guardiola could make Sterling one of the best in the Premier League.
There still is a lot of hard work to be done but Pep can never be accused of shirking his responsibilities and he will drive a few things into the City players. Hard work, determination and a never say die attitude, coupled with a lot of training sessions are expected for everyone at the club and if Sterling does stick to this and listens to the manager, he will be an important player not only for Manchester City’s title charge as he is one of the few proper wingers they have.
Sterling just has to get his mojo back and with Nolito on one side and the Englishman on the other. Pep could have one of the most lethal attacks in the Premier League, which will only get better if Sterling keeps the hard work on.