Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling’s struggles are unfortunately showing no signs of letting up.
The 26-year-old was handed a start against Newcastle United on Friday night, and it was a chance for him to get back in the goals.
The Magpies have been shaky at the back this season, and Sterling’s record against the Geordies isn’t bad (six in 16 appearances), so he’ll have been feeling hopeful of a renaissance.
City scored four goals in the game, but Sterling wasn’t involved in any of the them.
One man who was heavily, heavily involved in the goals, was Ferran Torres, who netted a hat-trick for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Spaniard took his tally to 13 goals for the season, meaning he is now only one behind his English teammate, having made 13 appearances fewer (Torres 34, Sterling 47).
He’s been showing glimpses in his first season, but Torres looks like he has the capacity to become a top-quality player, and that’s potentially not great news for Sterling.
Another problem for Sterling?
Sterling is already fighting against the likes of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva, so Torres slowly beginning to emerge could well prolong his struggles.
It feels as though the former Valencia star is at a much higher level at 21 than Sterling was, and he could become scarily good under Guardiola.
Critically, his finishing is very accomplished and his movement is super sharp – two things that have been absent from Sterling’s game in recent months.
