England’s Euro 2016 campaign was a shambles. Despite a bright start in their opening 1-1 draw with Russia, England regressed, went out to Iceland and Roy Hodgson lost his job. An inquest was held and, while none of the players escaped criticism, Raheem Sterling was singled out as the epitome of their failure.
The 21-year-old young winger endured an underwhelming tournament – only Jack Wilshere (6.51) gained a lower rating than Sterling (6.55) from midfield – but a lot of the stick he received was way over the top. With the signings Manchester City made this summer, it looked like Sterling would start significantly fewer games this season.
He started 23 matches in the Premier League last season in a frustrating debut campaign with City. Six league goals – three of which were scored in a 5-1 home win over Bournemouth – and two assists was a poor return for Sterling, with his rating (6.78) his lowest since he became an established Premier League regular. The arrivals of Leroy Sané, Nolito and Oleksandr Zinchenko also threatened Sterling’s starting spot and he needed to begin the season well to consolidate his place in the side.
Further performances like the one against Sunderland at the weekend, though, will go a long way to securing a regular starting spot. Pep Guardiola likes to use versatile attackers, which explains City’s links with Sadio Mané over the summer before he moved to Liverpool. In Sterling, however, Guardiola already has a player who is more than capable of drifting across the attacking third and wreaking havoc on the opposition.
After his £49m move last summer, Sterling was largely brought in as a winger and for good reason. His ability on the ball is probably his strongest asset, with the player utilising his searing pace to burst past defenders. Guardiola has identified this and asked Sterling to use that dribbling ability in every area of the final third, with adaptability a common trait for any player under Guardiola.
If the City boss can maximise this in Sterling, he has a hugely efficient weapon in his arsenal. While he started on the right flank, Sterling regularly moved into the middle and over the left to attack Sunderland, with Sergio Agüero and Kevin De Bruyne also drifting out of the centre to the flanks. This caused huge confusion in the Sunderland defence. While the 2-1 scoreline was hardly ideal, with the winner only coming in the 88th minute from Paddy McNair’s own goal, City’s dominance helped land three points
With Sunderland’s defenders struggling to contain City’s fluid attack, Sterling was successful with six of his seven dribbles – only Eden Hazard (9) completed more on the opening weekend. Furthermore, 73 touches was the fifth highest from attacking players in the first round of fixtures and was a huge increase on his average of 49.3 touches per start last season – a clear indication that Guardiola wants Sterling on the ball more regularly. After the game, the manager said: “He has the quality to play right or left, go to the byline or inside. He is a fighter. Of course we want more from him but we are very happy. He is a very nice guy and from the beginning I had a feeling this guy is good.”
The win over Sunderland offered a glimpse of Sterling’s role in the foreseeable future. There will be tougher tests to come but his performance, which was enough to earn a rating of 7.35 and make him City’s third highest rated player in their 2-1 win, will have been one of the main positives for Guardiola in his Premier League debut.
Following a testing summer, Sterling laid on the ideal response to his doubters and critics. As City gear up for an important season, the three points earned was a boost in their quest to re-establish domestic dominance. This victory over Sunderland could prove to be a watershed moment for Sterling.
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