Manchester City ‘s injury storm and several players’ unavailability due to their extended international break could be a blessing in disguise for Raheem Sterling. He is confirmed to play in the front three by City’s manager Pep Guardiola in the pre-match press conference.
Though City putting up a show thus far hasn’t buried any ghosts of their Striker’s issues, which they have been suffering ever since the departure of Sergio Aguero. The back-fired move of claiming Tottenham skipper, Harry Kane for a record £150M bid after Manchester City being involved in all the rumors, rubbed salt into the wounds.
Pep hasn’t been short of options, he made several attempts to crack the Number Nine code with the likes of Ferran Torres, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Bernardo Silva. However, none was able to stamp their authority.
In a recent interview, Guardiola admitted that,
"“Raheem is one among us.He has all the skills to play in any of the three positions upfront.He is so dynamic, he has the sense to arrive at the box, of course he scores goals, sometimes it’s the confidence.””He can play left or right, started the first season playing on the right, the left and a few minutes as a striker. He has played number 10, and as a striker he will always have chances, (he needs) just to be focused to convert all of them.”Source: MEN"
The 26-year-old was always headed downwards in the pecking order around the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Gabriel Jesus. To make matters even worse he has been blowing hot and cold for Manchester City this season.
His decision of publicly announcing the possibility of him leaving the Skyblues this Winter window doesn’t seem to help his cause. It is yet to be seen will this move affect any of his minutes if at all he’s awarded some.
With both Torres and Jesus unavailable for the Burnley Clash, Sterling seems to be the front runner for that position. Will he get the nod ahead from City’s boss? Will he be able to cement his position with a commanding display? What do you think?