The arrivals of Nolito and – probably – Leroy Sane must have left Raheem Sterling questioning his role at Manchester City.
From the expensive teenage star to a player cruelly victimised by the tabloid media, Sterling’s stock has fallen at an alarming rate over the past 12 months. His reputation has been not just tarnished, it is been decimated with the ugly, brute force of the media against a player who, on the whole, doesn’t do a great deal wrong.
Sterling’s quality should simply not be in question. His star potential was there for all to see, it has just been a troubled season under Manuel Pellegrini that has not done his prospects much good. The next step for Sterling sees one of the all-time great coaches arrive at Manchester City and this, for most, would be a wonderful thing for his career.
However, Sterling is set to compete with a number of players in the forward line and Guardiola will not show the stubborn patience that many others would. This is down in part to the fact that Guardiola will have far higher calibre alternatives than many other managers. The pressure is on Sterling to succeed, there is competition for places in the Manchester City squad that has not been there for a couple of years.
A challenging first campaign at City was perhaps down to style, perhaps it was down to pressure, either way it continued into the Euros where Sterling was underwhelming. The cringeworthy tirades in the papers were far from justified, but his performances, as he’d surely admit, were not up to the superb standard that made him such a wonderful prospect. During his time at Liverpool, Sterling seemed a couple of yards quicker than anyone on the field and his final ball was a dangerous as anyone’s.
The arrival of Nolito raises more questions than it answers for Sterling. Yes, Guardiola will rotate, but it leaves Sterling in a pressurised position. He could thrive under such circumstances, he might find that brilliance that tempted City into spending such a figure on him last summer, or he could suffer from a lack of patience as Guardiola thrives for early success at City.
If the Spaniard opts for his 4-3-3 system, Sterling could end up competing with several other players for the two wide forward roles. With David Silva, Samir Nasri, Kevin de Bruyne, Nolito and the possibility of Leroy Sane, City are spoilt for choice in these positions.
A depth of squad that would have even the world’s biggest clubs swooning, Sterling is a growing fish in an enormous pond right now.
The future for Sterling is much like a hazy Spring day. The potential to be bright, but the underlying risk that a storm is coming. The England winger is about to enter a season that is enormous in both his development his career trajectory.
Many believe Guardiola to be the man to take Sterling to the next level, yet that is not guaranteed as yet. There is still a lot to prove for the dazzling winger, at both club and international, and the competition for places at Manchester City could make that considerably harder.
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