The Legend of Raheem Sterling Exceeds the Reality
Raheem Sterling is one of the most dangerous football players in the world. His presence in the Manchester City starting 11 is crucial to their current success and their future title hopes. The frightening thing for opposing defenses is that the idea of Raheem Sterling is more dangerous than his actual play at this point in his young career.
Sterling’s young career has been defined by his potential as a football player. His startling transfer fee wasn’t so much a product of what he’d done on the field for Brendon Rodgers at Liverpool. Instead it was a bet on what he could do in the future for Manchester City. The same holds true today.
Sterling has been good, but not great for Manuel Pellegrini’s men this season. He has contributed a fairly pedestrian four goals and one assist on the year through eleven games. Three of those goals came in just one match against Bournemouth. His Whoscored.com player rating only grades out a shade over 7.0. Statistically, he’s just been a slightly above average player. Even so, he still has to be a focus for every opposing Premier League defense.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
He’s such a focus for opposing defenses because of what he can do on the pitch. His impact for City goes far beyond what his statistics show. It’s the idea of Raheem Sterling and what he can do to opposing defenses that serves the Premier League leaders so well.
First, there’s the obvious quality of Sterling’s pace on the pitch. He stretches defenses with runs both laterally and vertically. This is crucial for the rest of City’s attack. Players like David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne get space to operate because of the attention defenders must pay to Sterling. He’s a great decoy and distraction as he occupies space in the opposition’s half.
It’s more than just his fast feet though. We’ve also seen flashes of finishing quality from Sterling that can take our breath away. We know he has real quality in him even if we don’t see it every week. When opposing defenses think of Raheem Sterling their thoughts are inevitably drawn to those rare instances of insane quality. The natural pessimism of Premier League defenders make them believe that Sterling’s day of outstanding form must inevitably come against them. It’s not a logical line of thinking, but it’s a philosophy we can all identify with.
Make no mistake, Sterling serves an immense purpose for Manchester City at the moment. He strikes fear in opponents who know they must account for him at all times. His presence and moreover, his reputation, give City’s advanced attackers the room they need to create havoc. Even with his current inconsistencies he is a must start for City. In the absence of star striker Sergio Aguero his utility is magnified. He’s the only one with the pace to scare opposing defenders.
Only time will tell if Sterling can eventually make the reality of his game as dangerous as the current thought of it. Perhaps opposing defenders will realize that his quality with the ball has been closer to Jesus Navas than David Silva this year and react accordingly. They can only do so at their own peril. The pessimist in us all tells us that the minute they make that adjustment, Raheem Sterling will find a way to make his reality equal the legend.