Pep Guardiola has made crystal clear his stand that he does not select players based on “what they have done in the past” but on current merits and performances, in addressing his Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling’s latest disclosure that he would consider leaving the Etihad in search of regular playing time.
Perceptibly this could be interpreted by some as a rap on the knuckle for Sterling’s reluctance to come to terms with his current conundrum as he has only started once in the Premier League this season since returning from his starring role with England at the summer’s European Championship. His making it public knowledge this week that he is “open” to playing abroad one day could also possibly have been taken as a veiled threat to the Etihad boss.
The 26-year-old’s current Etihad contract is set to expire at the end of the next season but renegotiation talks have stalled as Sterling seeks guarantees over his game time.
It is Sterling’s wish to continue playing a pivotal role for City but it is apparent that regular minutes would be unlikely with the likes of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and £100m signing Jack Grealish providing stiff competition for a place. As such, he is apparently willing to consider other options if assurances are not forthcoming and – while speaking at an event hosted by the Financial Times this week – entertained the possibility of playing in either France or Spain, or even elsewhere within the Premier League.
Etihad boss, Guardiola, not exactly someone who can be pushed any which way, has regularly told players who have a bone to pick with his rotation policy to prove that they deserve to start by delivering consistent top-notch performances on the pitch and reiterated that message in no uncertain terms to Sterling before Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Burnley.
Despite speaking highly of Sterling and what he has achieved since his £50m move from Liverpool in 2015, the battle-hardened City manager insisted that he does not pick his players based on their reputation or their former glories.
“What I want as a manager is to pull out, take out the best from Raheem every single time when he plays. This is what I want. And I don’t doubt how much of an important player he has been for us – not for me, but for us. There is no doubt. The last five or six years, how many incredible minutes and important players, it was top.
“But Raheem like Jack, Ferran, [Torres], Gabriel [Jesus] and Riyad, they know exactly which mates they are competing against, every single game, so and we can’t say that Phil is a bad player, [Sterling] is a bad player, Jack is a bad player, Riyad is a bad player.
“Ferran every time plays as a striker he scores goals and Gabriel, what he gave us as a team, Bernardo [Silva] can play up front as well. That is the reality.
“The only way to get [more minutes] is: what can I do better? To play regularly and after when he is not satisfied or any of these players, it is so simple: with their agents, go to the club and say I am not happy I want to leave and we are going to find a solution.”
Guardiola added: “When we sign a player I do not tell them you are going to play all the minutes. I don’t say that. Never. You have to win. You have to win on the training pitch in the games, every single game, you deserve to play in every single game. What you have done in the past is the past.
“In the past for me now today [19-year-old academy product] Cole Palmer is the same player like any other player for the seniors or important players have been two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight years here in this club. It’s the same.
“The important thing is what you have to do tomorrow, not the Carabao Cups we won four in a row or the three Premier Leagues we won in the last four years or the final of the Champions League last season, this is not important. This is the past.
“I don’t select the players for what they have done in the past. It’s today, how you train today, how we are going to play tomorrow, this is the important thing. I cannot assure them game time, any one of them, they have to prove themselves.”
Unless he’s dead serious about looking for greener pastures elsewhere, Sterling would do well to pay heed to his boss’ words. After all, the latter is someone who has had the distinction of having had football illuminati like Lionel Messi under his charge.
Sterling has only started four of City’s 11 games in all competitions this season but may find he has more opportunities following a foot injury to Torres, which Guardiola confirmed would keep the Spain international out for up to three months.
City will also be without Ederson and Gabriel Jesus for Burnley’s visit to the Etihad on Saturday after their late return from international duty, having played in Brazil’s 4-1 World Cup qualifier win over Uruguay in the early hours of Friday morning.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
