Raheem Sterling is back to his best for Manchester City and it’s all thanks to impact of Pep Guardiola
Turns out all the England attacker needed was a little bit of TLC to get him back on track and firing again
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RAHEEM STERLING only needed a bit of TLC from the right person.
Instead, Manuel Pellegrini — the man who should have been most aware of how the young star had become a £49million basket case last term — was too busy feeling sorry for himself.
In the final few months of his reign at Manchester City, following the announcement that Pep Guardiola was replacing him, Pellegrini acted out his personal tragedy as City disintegrated.
To the point that they had to play Steaua Bucharest in a Champions League play–off this week, after they sunk to fourth in the Prem.
Their semi-final clash in the competition in May with Real Madrid was a cameo of a team and a manager, who had become shadows of themselves.
During that decline, nobody suffered more than Sterling, although at least he had the sense to seek help.
So he turned to psychologist Dr Steve Peters, who was in the employ of Sterling’s old club Liverpool.
Nobody at the Etihad, it would appear, could see that Sterling was beginning to unravel.
By the time he joined up with England for the Euros, he was still seeking counsel from Peters — who had been brought on board by then Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson.
His performance levels had sunk so low for club and country and the abuse he was getting online and off booing fans was so bad, he took to signing his Twitter feed as “The Hated One”.
Now, after his sterling performance in the 5–0 slaughter of Steaua, he can surely drop all of that.
Now, he has in Guardiola a man who can elevate him to the exciting, pacy, inventive attacker his potential always pointed towards.
HurRah for Guard tweak
By DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM
RAHEEM STERLING looks like he could make a big impact this season because he is being allowed to run free.
City boss Pep Guardiola has achieved this by ordering his right-back, whether it’s Bacary Sagna or Pablo Zabaleta, to effectively play as a central midfielder when in possession.
That forces the opponents’ wide man to come inside, which in turn creates a huge space for Sterling to run directly at the opposition’s left-back.
Under Manuel Pellegrini last season, City’s rivals would double up on Sterling.
But now Sterling only has to beat one man rather than two and is finding it easier to break into the penalty area.
New-boy Leroy Sane will find it difficult to displace Sterling, if he can maintain this form.
His problems before Guardiola arrived appeared so intense there were even suggestions the in-coming coach might ditch him.
But all the evidence from Bucharest is that Sterling seems born again — thanks, in part, to the therapy of Pep’s fast-passing, fast moving, high-pressing tactical philosophy.
Against Steaua he was felled for the first of Sergio Aguero’s two missed penalties before his control, pace and composure set up David Silva’s opener.
The touch that set up the first of Aguero’s treble was more Messi than someone missing in action.
Guardiola said: “Raheem has a lot of quality. That’s why Manchester City were so clever to buy him last season.”
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So, in the end, there was no need for Sterling to worry. Guardiola showed up at just the right time.
Sterling has been brought back from the brink. Good news for him, City and Sam Allardyce and his new England.