© Martin Rickett Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, centre, has returned to form. PA
Rewind a few weeks and the previously prolific Raheem Sterling had only scored two goals in his last 30 appearances for Manchester City. Now he has five in eight games but, even as Pep Guardiola deflected the praise for the winger’s return to form, he offered an example of the part chance has played in his revival.
Guardiola had made a point of praising Sterling for his performance when an injury-hit side won 2-1 at Aston Villa. The Englishman did not score then but he set the tone with a superb start and his manager harked back.
“I am going to reverse,” Guardiola said. “The day before we played Aston Villa, we have 12 [fit] players and he was not selected. The day of the game [Ilkay] Gundogan had a pain in his back and could not travel and Raheem played. Just take a look at the first 15-20 minutes he played. It was the best 15-20 minutes maybe from the last months.”
While Guardiola oversaw Sterling’s development from a talent into a world-class forward, he insisted a recent renaissance is not attributable to him. “I would like to say yes for my ego and for a better contract for the next seasons,” he said with a smile. “I am sorry: that is the most ridiculous thing. All this credit is for the player.”
Instead, Guardiola reached outside football for a comparison. He watched Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton contest the controversial Formula One World Championship on Sunday and said: “In the end a law or a VAR or a bad decision or many things can happen and you don’t win.
Manchester City v Wolves player ratings
1/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 7: The Brazilian again spent much of the first half keeping warm as he only saw the ball six times in the first 45 minutes. Forced into his first real save in stoppage time when Kilman’s header headed goalwards. Reuters
2/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Joao Cancelo – 7: Switched to right back and saw a long-range shot fire over the crossbar before aiming a low shot at Sa. Good tracking back to recover after moving to an advanced position. Standout with 73 touches of the ball by half-time and over 150 by full-time – the most by a margin. EPA
3/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Ruben Dias – 7: Did well in the first half to keep Traore quiet, alongside Laporte, but largely a spectator. Booked. Reuters
4/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Aymeric Laporte – 7: A relatively quiet display with the two centre-backs rarely worked but did well late on to dispossess Tricano. AFP
5/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7: Kept his place in the side following City’s defeat against RB Leipzig and had a bouncing effort collected by Sa. A lively game for the Ukrainian. Reuters
6/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Ilkay Gundogan – 6: Another one who struggled to get going in the first half but had his goalwards header cleared off the line by Coady just before his afternoon was cut short as City looked for a change. Reuters
7/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Rodri – 7: Good work in the middle to ensure any loose balls remain in City’s control. Couldn’t quite get a header off cleanly as Sa had no problem collecting. Booked for holding back Traore. PA
8/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Bernardo Silva – 7: Could have added to his goal tally early on when he was played in by a great ball and couldn’t quite curl his effort on target. Forced a low save from Sa in the second half with the ball bouncing around the goalmouth. PA
9/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Jack Grealish – 6: Seemed unable to get into first gear in the first half but the former Aston Villa man finally looked to put his foot on the gas as City increased the intensity after the break. Should have doubled City’s lead when he failed to meet Sterling’s cross from six yards. AFP
10/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Gabriel Jesus – 7: Could have got City off the mark seconds after the restart when his shot went narrowly wide. Forced a superb save from Sa in the final 10 minutes. Getty
11/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Raheem Sterling – 7: A man on a mission as he looked lively on the ball and often reading Cancelo’s lofted passes well, before netting his 100th Premier League goal through a penalty to break the deadlock. Getty
12/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National SUBS: Phil Foden (Gundogan 56’) – 6: An early change for City who looked for inspiration in the second half. Had a shot on the turn met by the goalkeeper. Getty
13/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Kevin De Bruyne (for Grealish 74’) – 6: Dropped following City’s Champions League defeat but a fairly quiet reintroduction. Getty
14/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National WOLVES RATINGS: Jose Sa – 7: The 28-year-old likely expected a busier first half than he saw with City unable to get going. Went the wrong way for the penalty and could only watch it go straight down the middle. Great save to deny Silva netting City’s second, and another to keep Jesus out. AFP
15/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Max Kilman – 7: Almost let Jesus free on goal after 20 minutes when miscontrolling, but did well to rescue the ball in the penalty box. Great work to cut out Silva and Zinchenko before storming forward and managing to find Hwang. Brilliant block to deny Foden in stoppage time and nearly equalised. Getty
16/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Conor Coady – 7: A doubt coming into the game but vital in clearing up when Sterling was through on goal, albeit at a tight angle. Seemed to be all-over the backline covering as his side were unable to get out of their half. Cleared Gundogan’s goalwards header off the line in another piece of great defending. Getty
17/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Romain Saiss – 6: Did not find himself in the good books of the home fans when he was controversially caught by Sterling, but relatively sturdy. EPA
18/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Nelson Semedo – 6: Didn’t see too much of the ball for large parts of the game but did do well to intercept Silva and keep the ball moving forward. Getty
19/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Leander Dendoncker – 6 Wasted no time filling the vital role in defensive midfield to stop City getting through early on but didn’t see much of the ball. overall Booked for challenge on Rodri. Getty
20/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Ruben Neves – 6: The 24-year-old displayed some great tracking back when City counter-attacked, and tackled Grealish, but was left worse off when he collided heads with his teammate Kilman. Booked. PA
21/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Joao Moutinho – 6: The only change to the side as the Portuguese man came in for Hwang. He threw his body at the ball when Rodri had a chance from distance. Was unhappy when his block of Silva’s cross resulted in a penalty, which VAR didn’t overturn. AP
22/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Rayan Ait-Nouri – 7: The young Frenchman held his own well considering the opposition and facing Sterling. Didn’t look nerved by throwing in a tackle or trying to move play forwards. Getty
23/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Adama Traore – 5: Had to be extremely patient for long ball clearances to run on to but was largely stopped by City’s backline. Left isolated by Jimenez’s sending off, and then ineffective. AP
24/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Raul Jimenez – 3: The 30-year-old received his second yellow just 48 seconds after picking up his first booking for a tackle on Rodri when he stopped a free-kick from being taken. Refused to leave the pitch for several minutes. Unforgivable and left Wolves at a disadvantage for the entire second half. Getty
25/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National SUBS: Hwang Hee-Chan (Traore 67’) – N/R Mostly isolated and on the backfoot after he came on. AP
26/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Francisco Trincao (Neves 82’) – N/R: Lively from the bench in the closing stages but ultimately harmless. AP
27/27 SLIDES © Provided by The National Daniel Podence (Dendoncker 87’) – N/R: Produced an absolute cracker of a ball in for Kilman in stoppage time for Kilman to head. Getty
“What you have to do is like Raheem has done in the last games or these incredible two athletes from Formula One have done and never give up. Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were incredible champions, but sometimes the success doesn’t depend on you. Sometimes something happens the athletes cannot control and you don’t win.”
Kevin de Bruyne has had a season that has felt beyond his control, from an ankle injury to contracting coronavirus. The midfielder is fit again but has only been a substitute in City’s last two league games.
In his absence, Bernardo Silva has been City’s outstanding individual this season. It has led to suggestions that the Portuguese and the Belgian cannot play together.
© Provided by The National Kevin De Bruyne’s season has so far been limited by injury and illness. PA
“Kevin de Bruyne is not going to play any more minutes for the rest of the season,” Guardiola replied sarcastically. “Kevin de Bruyne has not quality. Do you want to hear that? Kevin struggled in the beginning of the season when he played and when we got to start to be who he is in the [Manchester] United game, he got Covid.
“But, come on, Kevin is a more than important player for us and we miss him like, wow, you cannot imagine. We need him. Bernardo needs him and everyone. We cannot play in midfield with just Bernardo and Gundogan and Rodri.”
Gundogan has been declared fit to face Leeds on Tuesday. Instead, Marcelo Bielsa has the injury problems, with Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford topping the list of absentees. “If there is one person who never complains about what happens is Marcelo,” said Guardiola. “He loves to work when the situations are tough.”
City had won 27 of 28 previous matches when they hosted Leeds in April but lost 2-1. Leeds took four points off them and Guardiola, an admirer of Bielsa, reflected on the difficulties of facing a team with idiosyncratic tactics. “They play in this special and unique way all season and we play against it just twice a year,” he said. “We are not used to the way they play. It’s a challenge.”
Keyword: Sterling's ability to 'never give up' behind resurgence at Manchester City, says Guardiola
