It wasn't so long ago that Raheem Sterling was thought of as a poor finisher. So it shows how far the Manchester City forward has come that he has scored 20 goals at the start of February and some people are fretting about his form.
The 25-year-old is averaging a goal every 136 minutes in all competitions this season - only four minutes more than current Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy.
And there wasn’t anything too unusual in him not scoring in the surprising Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United in midweek. Remarkably, Sterling hasn't scored in 16 appearances against United and even when he had the ball in the back of the net on Wednesday night, the referee's assistant stepped in to correctly rule out a goal for a tight offside.
However, slightly more alarming was the chance he missed in the second half when he raced clear of the United defence. Instead of sliding the ball past David de Gea, who admittedly was having an inspired night to keep City to a blank score, the England forward delayed his shot, took it around the goalkeeper and two defenders before blasting a shot over the bar off-balance.
It was the sort of muddled finish that underpinned the early part of his career when critics questioned his composure in the final third. Sterling hasn't yet scored in 2020; his last goals came against Wolves just after Christmas, finally scoring after Rui Patricio had twice saved his penalty.
His goalless streak has now stretched to seven games, his longest run without a goal since the spring of 2017. Pep Guardiola, however, isn’t unduly worried and says his all-round contribution means more to his team that merely goals and assists.
“He defended brilliantly against Wan-Bissaka in the last game and had clear chances that no other player can create for themselves,” he said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham.
“Unfortunately he could not score a goal but he was there, so I am more than delighted with the performance against United because the people with statistics with goals and assists say it has been a month but I am not judging Raheem just for that. It is important but not the only thing.”
In the Manchester derby, Sterling had more successful dribbles than anyone on the pitch and only United midfielder Fred won more tackles. However, no player on the pitch lost possession more times. That was the same in his previous start at Sheffield United in the Premier League when he also missed more chances than anyone else.
Sterling has often been described as a confidence player and a goal could quickly turn his form around. The second of his double in December against Wolves was almost identical in its creation to the big missed chance against United, except with a goal already to his name, he executed a deft finish with effortless ease.
An upcoming winter break could give Sterling a welcome rest after last season’s gruelling title race, a pressurised summer with England at the Nations League and extra responsibility at City because of the serious injury to Leroy Sane and the mixed form of Bernardo Silva. Guardiola, however, is relaxed despite Sterling playing more minutes this season than everyone apart from Kevin De Bruyne.
“He is one of the only guys I’ve met in my career with recovery quicker than I’ve seen before. It’s incredible,” the City boss said. “He could play every two games and of course the more he plays regularly the better and better he feels. All the players feel that.”
With the Premier League title race over, City’s season gets serious this month with the Champions League last-16 clash against Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have shown some interest in Sterling after he is delivered a consistent level of quality in his past two seasons with more than 20 goals in each. He needs only six more in the next four months for his best-ever goals tally.
It’s why, despite the current bad run, Madrid will fear the England international as much as anyone else that steps out at Santiago Bernabeu for Guardiola’s side.
"Goal" - Google News
February 01, 2020 at 02:30PM
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Sterling needs a goal to reboot his season after dry January - Goal.com
"Goal" - Google News
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