da betcris： The injury Raheem Sterling picked up in the Manchester derby will as good as end his first season at Manchester City, and it has, largely, been an underwhelming one.
da prosport bet： Man City’s season is meandering towards disappointment, as the prospect of a quadruple has disappeared quicker than Harry Redknapp when someone mentions ‘taxes’. Champions League qualification is now under a threat from Manchester United and West Ham, whilst their own European campaign is likely to come to an end when they face Paris Saint-Germain with Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis in defence – Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be licking his lips.
The transfer saga of last summer saw Raheem Sterling finally complete his move from Liverpool to Man City and join up with the most ambitious club in Manchester… that wears blue. As the ex-QPR man was signed alongside Nicolas Otamendi and Kevin De Bruyne, City were everyone’s favourites for the title and looked to have finally built a squad with some balance. However, defensive frailty and Yaya Toure’s slowing legs have seen Manuel Pellegrini’s side collapse and, if it wasn’t for the upcoming arrival of Pep Guardiola, they would be looking into 2016/17 with a huge amount of pessimism.
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Liverpool, on the other hand, have begun to show improvement under Jurgen Klopp and are threatening to become a top four side once again. The trajectories of the two clubs are quite different, but this may well change once Guardiola arrives. The talent of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge is terrorising defences and, although Firmino may not have arrived, Sterling would only have made this more fearsome. The pace of the Englishman would’ve fitted in perfectly in the rapid transitioning of Klopp’s side, although there is no guarantee the winger would’ve bought in to the ‘gegenpressing’.
Guardiola is likely to invest heavily this summer and, although many would disagree, there is no guarantee that Sterling will be integral to his plans. The Spanish manager will alternate his systems and looks for players who can play in a number of different roles, whether that be ‘No.10’, winger, inside forward or as a ‘false 9’. Sterling showed brief adaptability under Brendan Rodgers, but the ex-Liverpool man has not looked the same threat in the sky blue of City. He is, astonishingly, 45th on the list of dribbles per 90 and has not looked like the same kind of fearless runner that we saw when he operated at the point of the Liverpool diamond in 2013/14. The pressure of such a big money move seems to have crippled his twinkling toes and the Man City style of play does not lend itself to fast dribblers, but more of a languid, passing style.
Klopp would’ve made Sterling into a dangerous prospect. He could’ve used Sturridge as the number nine and shunned the current 4-3-3 to use Sterling in an attacking midfield trio with Coutinho and Firmino. The flair of the Brazilians would complement the Englishman far more than the surgical examination that David Silva gives opposition defences. Signed to give an extra dimension to the City attack, Sterling has often looked disjointed and out of place in a possession-based side. Klopp has changed Liverpool from the Rodgers era, but the German will have Liverpool playing in a similar way to 2013/14 once again one suspects, when Sterling only saw Eden Hazard and Luis Suarez complete more Premier League dribbles. Even in Liverpool’s woeful 2014/15 campaign, Sterling registered sixth on the list of completed dribbles.
The transfer last summer looked a good one for all parties. It looked like Sterling would get the chance to prove himself as one of the best talents in Europe, but the uncertainty around his future with the arrival of Guardiola must have the winger wondering how it could’ve been for him under Klopp. Only time will tell, but Guardiola’s possession dominant game does not lend itself to risk-taking dribblers, Bayern have averaged 67.2% possession in the Bundesliga this season, yet the successes of Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa may give Sterling hope.
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