Pep Guardiola has told Raheem Sterling to be more “direct and clinical” and the Manchester City forward hopes his decisive goal in the 2-1 home victory over Arsenal is a sign that advice is paying off.
Sterling’s 71st-minute winner on Sunday was his first goal since September and delivered a much-needed fillip for Guardiola’s side heading into the festive programme, moving them above Arsenal although still seven points behind the leaders, Chelsea.
Sterling, much like Guardiola and City, had started the season well, with five goals in his opening nine games, only for his form to dip in the past two months. The 22-year-old admitted some guidance from his latest manager had helped.
“He has told me to be direct, to be the player he knows I want to be,” Sterling said. “To be direct, to be involved in creating chances and scoring goals, being clinical and that’s what I need to do.
“I watch players to get better. I’m only 22 and I’m going to watch world-class players to see if I can improve my game week in, week out. There’s many players in my position I watch, and to keep adding to my game.
“I know I can still get better. It’s about me enjoying my football, learning each day at training. I just need to show it on the pitch. I can’t keep talking about it but have to do it. I need to express myself and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Sunday’s win was City’s second victory in five days after the more prosaic 2-0 success over Watford, which had come on the back of the damaging defeats at Leicester and at home to Chelsea.
“We had a bad run of games, lost a few games, but this is the Premier League and you pay for it when you are not at your best,” said Sterling. “We are a few points behind Chelsea but we will keep trying to win our matches and hopefully keep up with them. You have to keep your eye on everyone and can’t think you are ever comfortable where you are in the league. Things can turn so quickly. They might get a bad run and we can go on a run – we are capable of that – and that’s what makes the Premier League so fantastic.”
The equaliser on Sunday came from Leroy Sané, his first goal for the club, and Sterling said he believed the 20-year-old summer signing from Schalke could now show his true talent for City.
“For him, not starting at the beginning of the season does not help but he’s getting back into it now and I’m really happy for him. Hopefully he can now kick on.
“Funnily enough before the game I said to him if I had a shot like you I’d be shooting every minute and no one would be able to take the ball off me. I said if you get a chance, just shoot and he got his goal so I’m really pleased for him. He’s a great lad and been working really hard.
“At the start of the season he probably wasn’t playing as much as he wanted. But in the Premier League you have to adapt and get used to it. We’ve got [lots of] players in all departments and the manager is looking to put young players in and it’s up to us to take our chances when we get them. Leroy has done brilliantly. He was a threat all game. He will get better and so will the team.”
After two home games City face trips to Hull on Boxing Day and then to Sterling’s former club, Liverpool, on New Year’s Eve, before Burnley’s visit to the Etihad on 2 January. “I’m massively excited about this season and what we can achieve,” said Sterling. “Of course we want the title, to do well in the Champions League. We have a good draw [Monaco]; it’s always a tough game but we have a chance to go through. It’s exciting times ahead and we just need to keep going.”
