The Sunday Times April 10, 2022 11and arguably more pragmatic in
terms of a player’s skill set. The
Catalan, it seems to me, always
thinks that a fine player has much
more to offer and likes to find holes
to pick, even in their best
performances. Which is why it is by
no means certain that Sterling will
start the game at the Etihad this
afternoon.
He did not particularly shine in
the 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid
in the first leg of their Champions
League quarter-final tie on Tuesday
and could just as easily be deemed
in need of a breather as someone
who could make the difference in
such a critical match.
The crazy part of Sterling’s story
is that he is so adept, so integral to
Southgate and England’s plans and
yet can be easily shifted in and out
of the City team without it being
weakened in the slightest.
Even if Guardiola was not quite
so demanding, any City player will,
if ambitious, improve because the
competition for places is so
intense.
Much has been made of how the
quadruple is not such a ridiculous
target for Liverpool because Klopp
has bolstered the quality of his
bench. How amusing must that be
for Guardiola, for he has never had
to worry about the standard of his
alternative XI, yet still complete
domination has eluded him.
When I spoke to those who
nurtured Sterling early on, they
were convinced that he was not the
mercenary that he was widely
portrayed as by the media when he
refused to sign a new deal with
Liverpool.
It was success he craved, not
money. The price for that desire is
to not be a guaranteed starter,
which some players would find
difficult or undermining.
Sterling, though — no matter the
discussions about his form, his
future or his past — keeps on
startling those who are tasked with
tackling him.Slaloming like a Nordic skier, swerving
like a speed skater, Raheem Sterling
keeps on confounding opponents – and
critics who dubbed him a ‘mercenary’
Manchester City host Liverpool in a
feverishly anticipated fixture that
neutrals will relish but fans will
find almost too nerve-shredding.
Those with their faces buried in the
folds of their friend’s coat may
need a distraction, and that
distraction should be Raheem
Sterling.
It is seven years since Sterling left
Merseyside for the Etihad Stadium
in one of the most controversial,
high-profile and unseemly
transfers in Premier League
history.
The forward and his agent used
the media to conduct their
business, leaving those connected
to Liverpool either gobsmacked or
irate, but it worked and in 2015
Sterling became the most
expensive English player of all time
at that point, signing for
£49 million.
If the life of the England
international was an Aesop Fable, it
is at that juncture that we would
expect to see the dramatic effects of
hubris, but instead Sterling has
risen in stature and then risen some
more. He was man of the match
while wearing the captain’s
armband in England’s recent
victory over Ivory Coast, then
returned to his club to orchestrate
City’s win against Burnley. He is, it
is fair to say, in a good place.
There is interest in a Netflix-type
series about Sterling but, really, his
story deserves the full Hollywood
screenplay treatment.
This is a player who attended a
special-needs school only to appear
on Newsnight after the death of
George Floyd, who was killed by
the American police in 2020.
This is a player who needed
football as much as the game
needed him.
It is hard to decide the most
remarkable aspect of his story.
Sterling outshone his peers in his
first park game in the shadow of
Wembley Stadium in spite of the
fact that he had previously spent‘This is a man who
had special-needs
schooling only to
appear on Newsnight
after the death
of George Floyd’his weekends practising on his own
in his back garden. Before moving
to London aged five, he would play
football on the streets of Jamaica,
with a tin can or a drinks carton
acting as a makeshift ball.
My favourite piece of Sterling
wonderment is the fact that, having
signed for Queens Park Rangers
aged 11, he found himself, two years
later, playing alongside 16-year-olds
in a youth game against Arsenal.
The referee had to request that
Sterling be taken off for five
minutes because none of the
opposition players dared to come
on as substitutes, so fearful were
they of his pace.
Indeed, the effect that Sterling
has upon his opponents is his best
asset. Elite defenders are often
asked who they have found the
most difficult opponent to mark,
and it is often the City winger that
they plump for.
The 27-year-old is exceptionally
quick, certainly, but what makes
him a nightmare to shackle is that it
is never obvious what he will do
next, nor which way he will turn.
He is not well built but possesses
strength and tenacity. He slaloms
like a Nordic skier, swerves like a
speed skater.
Sterling left Anfield three
months before the arrival of Jürgen
Klopp and it is tempting to
contemplate how he might have
developed had he found himself
under the tutelage of the German
coach at Liverpool.
Klopp is more avuncular than
Pep Guardiola, the City manager,Alyson Rudd
WATCH OUT FOR THE HIGH DEFENSIVE LINES
The two sides catch their opponents offside
more than any other teams in the league and on
average the catch opponents off side further
from goal than any other teams, showing how
high they station their defensive lineMan United
55Leicester City
58Wolves
69Liverpool
121Chelsea
55Brentford
59Man City
71West ham
26.8mChelsea
28.7mMan City
29.9mAston Villa
26.6mBrentford
28.1mLiverpool
28.9mTHE STADIUM Capacity: 53,400
1 City have
lost just one
of their past
12 Premier
League home
games
against
Liverpool
(W7 D4)Most times caught their opponent offsideAverage distance from goal when
offside recordedAND WHO'S PROVIDING THE CHANCES?
Most assists in all competitions
Manchester City
Phil Foden, Gabriel JesusKevin De Bruyne, João CanceloLiverpool
Trent Alexander-ArnoldAndrew RobertsonMo Salah98161410WAWATWATWWATATATATATTCTTTCTTCTC
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22229999999999999999 .. 99BrenBBrenenntfntfnnnnnt
2282828888888 .1m 11 1mTTHETHTHEHE STEEEESTEEEEEEESST
MosMMososst tsssssst tAA
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TTrenTTTrTrenTTreTreTTrenTTeneeneeneent Annnt Ant Annnnnntntnnnntt AAAAAAnAndndrewdddrdddddeewMoMMMo oSaSSSaSSSamost competitive, hard-
running, wholehearted
footballer around. Defends
tenaciously and has 14 assists
already in 2021-22FABINHO 9/10
The Brazilian keeps Liverpool’s
shape when the rest bomb
forward to press or attack
and protects his back
four. Has now
developed into a
goalscorer tooTHIAGO 8/10
ALCANTARA
The Spaniard is a sublime
passer with high football
intelligence but City’s intensity
may ask questions of himand his influence has grown
even further this seasonJOËL 8/10
MATIP
His defending is cool and
reliable and offensively —
whether striding forward in
possession or attacking at set
pieces — he is a threatVIRGIL 9/10
VAN DIJK
Never fazed, almost never
beaten and nearly always
dominant. Liverpool’s latter-
day colossusANDREW 8/10
ROBERTSON
The Scotland left back is theALISSON 8/10
Almost Ederson’s equal as a
sweeper-keeper and a knack
for key saves when Liverpool
most need them
TRENT 9/10
ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
One of the best playmakers in
Europe, he redefines the
full-back role. He has filled out
LIVERPOOL
LUIS 8/10
DÍAZ
Has made an electric start to
his Liverpool career and strikes
fear in the opposition when he
dribbles. Although his goals/
assists return is moderate so farSUBS 9/10
Liverpool have no injuries,
alternative goalscorers ready to
bring off the bench and just a
bit more depthJÜRGEN 10/10
KLOPP
The German is a self-styled
messiah with a difference —
this one deliversTOTAL 112/130
JORDAN 8/10
HENDERSON
Full of leadership and
personality but also has a level
of quality that can be
overlookedMOHAMED 9/10
SALAH
In a slight dip of form but
has had a sensational
season. Again. Way out on his
own for Premier League goal
involvementsSADIO 9/10
MANÉ
Big mentality, hugely driven
and often conjures a goal in the
big games. Can kill teams with
his penetrative runningON TV TODAY
Manchester City v
Liverpool
4.30pm, Sky Sports
Main Event.
Radio: BBC 5Live4
Salah has scored in
four of his past five
Premier League games
against CityJOR
HEN
Full o
pers
of qu
overM
Sha
seas
own
invoSAD
MANSAD
Bigm
and
bigg
hispssists9 / 10
pool’s
mb
k8/ 10
etensity
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