Pep
Guardiola stood in a state of shock on the touchline as he stared into the
abyss.
Trailing Aston Villa in the 56th minute, the prospect of a fourth Premier
League title in five seasons was seemingly evaporating before his eyes.
An enthralling race for supremacy with Liverpool had its unexpected twist
when the Manchester City manager turned to his bench and summoned Raheem
Sterling.
City had lacked a cutting edge, but the Catalan knew exactly who to turn to
in his hour of need.
Sterling is a player often maligned for his finishing, but his role in
turning around City's fortunes during their dramatic final-day comeback in
May cannot be underplayed.
City would fall further behind before Sterling got to work.
He fronted up Lucas Digne, using Gabriel Jesus as a decoy to glide past the
full-back from a standing start to reach the byline. There was still much to
do, but the winger stood up a pinpoint cross to dissect the three remaining
Villa defenders and plant the ball just over the head of Matty Cash. Ilkay
Gundogan just had to meet it to spark the fightback.
It was the first of three goals in five minutes which secured the title.
Guardiola has always appreciated the value of Sterling, whose impact was a
defiant reminder of his importance. Since the manager's appointment at the
start of the 2016/17 season, no player has made more Premier League
appearances for City than Sterling's 194. No City player has scored more
than his 85 goals.
Speaking in February after the winger scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over
Norwich, Guardiola said: "I have known Raheem for six seasons. I know him
perfectly well. This season he was outstanding in goals and assists and his
contribution to the team.
"During that period there are highs and lows. It's part of life. Teams are
not honeymoons. There are problems and we have to solve them.
"Nobody doubts how important he is. He is showing that. What I want is for
all the players to play well.
"If we count the amount of games he played since we are together, it is a
lot. He was a key player. In the future? I don't know what will happen. The
club decides.
"When the club extends contracts, I give my opinion, but the club takes the
decision, always."
There was a vagueness to that closing sentence. For all of the Pep
platitudes, there have been peaks and troughs at City for Sterling, and it
is not immediately clear what his legacy will be.
There is something not entirely surprising about Chelsea formalising their
interest in him. Uncertainty surrounds his future at the Etihad Stadium, and
Thomas Tuchel is ready to test City's resolve.
Sterling has a year left to run on his £300,000-a-week contract. City paid
£49m to prise him from Liverpool in 2015 but his seven-year stay could soon
be at an end.
Liverpool have shuffled the pack and Jurgen Klopp's side are not alone in
putting the wheels in motion for a methodical evolution. Erling Haaland is
the present and future, and while some have already questioned the
Norwegian's natural fit for a Guardiola team, selling Sterling would further
signal a shift in attacking approach.
Jack Grealish has completed his first season following his £100m move last
summer and will now be expected to feature more prominently. Julian Alvarez
is arriving from River Plate and will form part of Guardiola's squad. Jesus
has joined Arsenal for £45m.
City are evolving, and Sterling could be the next to be moved on. Leeds
midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been recruited and Brighton left-back Marc
Cucurella is a top summer target. Guardiola may anticipate at least one,
maybe more, of Sterling, Gundogan, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Bernardo Silva
departing.
Sterling has always been a purple-patch player. Jose Mourinho once used the
analogy of a ketchup bottle waiting to explode to describe Romelu Lukaku at
Manchester United, and the same has applied to Sterling in the past.
After a slow start, he would end last season on 13 goals and five assists,
averaging a goal involvement every 118 minutes.
Under Guardiola, no player is guaranteed his place and Sterling will
experience similar rotation were he to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
He would be replacing one perfectionist as his mentor with another.
He would be replacing Phil Foden, Grealish, Jesus and Riyad Mahrez as
competition with Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount and Timo
Werner. He would be no more certain of minutes. As Lukaku found out, there
are no guarantees.
Tuchel's tinkering is almost as renowned as Pep's roulette, but a return to
the capital for the boy from Brent, raised within sight of Wembley's famous
arch, is one that could suit all parties.
Guardiola has stated this week he has no interest in keeping players who are
unhappy, and while there is no suggestion of discontent on Sterling's part,
the player feels he can contribute more.
In the same way that Sadio Mane is seeking a fresh challenge with Bayern
Munich, Sterling could see this summer as the right time to experience a
change.
Barring the elusive Champions League medal, it has been a partnership
decorated with silverware. Four Premier League titles, as many League Cups,
and the 2019 FA Cup underscore this success.
Mane embodied Klopp's Liverpool, but the same can equally be said of
Sterling at Guardiola's City.
And yet, in the big games, Mane would be the first name on Klopp's team
sheet. The same has not always applied to Sterling.
A cameo role in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against
Real Madrid, he was again consigned to the substitutes bench at the
Bernabeu.
It was only nine minutes into extra time, with City chasing another rescue
mission, that Guardiola turned to the England forward.
Sterling rightly sees himself as more than a final roll of the dice, or a
luxury player to be summoned when Plan A has fallen flat. He will recall
being marked out of the game by Reece James as Chelsea won the Champions
League 13 months ago at his and City's expense.
Sterling was handed a start in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool in
April, but he faded badly after a lively start. When it comes to the crunch,
there is enough evidence to suggest that Guardiola doesn't fully trust him
to make the telling difference.
A frustration will linger and will form part of his thought process as he
considers his next step. His professionalism has never been in doubt,
responding to that personal disappointment in Madrid by scoring twice in a
5-0 win over Newcastle four days later.
It led to further praise from Guardiola.
"Always, I am happy with his response," he said. "Of course, he is not happy
when he doesn't play. That's normal. What he has done in our time together,
with the numbers and statistics is amazing."
In a World Cup year, Sterling has a decision to make. He turns 28 during the
Qatar tournament and must decide whether moving clubs at this point is best
for his career. His spot in the England team cannot be compromised.
Grealish's performance in the Nations League against Belgium in November
2020 generated a clamour for him to start in Sterling's place, but Gareth
Southgate wasn't easily seduced.
Having had his position questioned, it was Sterling who would emerge as
England's leading man at the Euros the following summer.
Asked who had impressed him most in inspiring England to reach the final,
Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: "I said this after the group games, I think
Sterling has been England's best player by a long way.
"There was a lot of talk going into the competition that his position in the
team was up for grabs, which I couldn't understand because he has been
outstanding for Gareth Southgate since the World Cup, over a two or
three-year period.
"I think before this tournament started, the two first names on the team
sheet, if everyone was fit, would be Harry Kane and Harry Maguire - but now
it has to be Raheem Sterling joining those two."
Sterling was one of a number of England players to suffer a post-final
hangover at the start of last season, finding himself out of form and out of
the City team. He wants greater minutes but also responsibility in this
defining period of his career, and Chelsea are wanting a marquee signing to
mark the start of a new era.
City would ideally like to avoid strengthening a title rival, and the move
would not only benefit Chelsea.
Sterling would improve on his understanding with England team-mates James
and Mount, two players he can consult for a gauge on how Tuchel operates.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been linked but Chelsea are one of very few
clubs who can afford his wages.
Tuchel will no doubt be attracted by Sterling's versatility across the
forward line, capable of playing on either flank or through the middle as a
false nine - a tactic the German has preferred over the conventional target
man. Lukaku's return on loan to Inter Milan hastens talk of Sterling's
arrival.
Todd Boehly is expected to become chairman when Bruce Buck stands down at
the end of the month. Chelsea won 21 men's trophies and 12 women's titles
since Roman Abramovich's purchase in 2003. For Boehly, prising a ready-made
serial winner in Sterling would be a big opening statement.
Analysis: How much would Chelsea be
willing to pay?
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"There is real interest, and he would fit in perfectly with the way that
Thomas Tuchel likes to play. We know that Sterling only has 12 months left
to run on his contract and I think City would be prepared to sell him
provided the price is right.
"As far as City are concerned, he is worth up to £60m. At the moment,
there's no indication that Chelsea are prepared to pay that sort of money
for a player who has one year left to run on his current deal.
"Mane is two-and-a-half years older than Sterling and he's just gone to
Bayern Munich for around £35m so I think Chelse are thinking that is the
benchmark figure of what they're willing to pay. I don't think it's by any
means certain that Sterling will leave City this summer as the move has to
be right for him and for City.
"There are a lot more clubs interested in him other than Chelsea."
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