Raheem Sterling’s England spot in danger as Man City goal drought continues against Crystal Palace
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At what point does Gareth Southgate start to worry about Raheem Sterling‘s form? Or, to flip the question, at what point does Raheem Sterling start to worry about his place in Gareth Southgate‘s England team?
Sterling has been integral to Southgate’s plans throughout his tenure in charge – 34 of Sterling’s 61 international caps have come in the Southgate era – and the England boss has also been a staunch defender of his player amidst unwarranted and often, unsavoury media criticism.
As highly-regarded as Sterling undoubtedly is in the England camp, though, Southgate is blessed with an array of exciting options at the top end of the pitch as Euro 2020 approaches. Phil Foden, who has seized Sterling’s spot in Pep Guardiola’s first-choice XI, appears on the cusp of a breakthrough international tournament and looks set for a big role in support of captain Harry Kane in attack.
That leaves one spot vacant in England’s front three with Sterling competing against Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood and Bukayo Saka for it.
Sterling has plenty of credit in the bank with England, given his selfless displays as Kane’s support striker at the 2018 World Cup and goals during the successful Nations League campaign which followed. But his current form, compared to that of his positional rivals, could give Southgate a tricky decision to make ahead of England’s opener against World Cup foes Croatia in six weeks time.
After sitting out Manchester City‘s 2-1 win over PSG in midweek, Sterling was restored to Guardiola’s starting XI against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and it was he who had his side’s first big opportunity to score. Aymeric Laporte’s scooped ball over the top of the defence found him and after jinking inside, Sterling took a touch, then another one and another one after that, before being closed down by Tyrick Mitchell.
The 26-year-old’s evident frustration at spurning a golden opportunity to end a goal drought which now stands at 11 games in City’s colours revealed a player dissatisfied with his current predicament. He will not want to watch on from the bench as City hunt down a treble.
It isn’t only in front of goal that Sterling is lacking conviction. Too many passes were lacking the requisite zip to reach their intended target, distributed with a hesitancy that is a telltale sign of a player lacking the belief of their convictions.
As City improved after the restart, so too did Sterling, although his frustrating afternoon continued. He wasn’t involved in either of his team’s goals, scored clinically by Sergio Aguero and then Ferran Torres and then hit the post from an acute angle after catching Vicente Guaita unawares.
Sterling’s desperation to snap out of his goalscoring funk became more apparent as the game wore on as he increasingly gravitated towards the penalty spot. He lashed an ambitious free-kick over the bar and then whipped a curling effort just wide of the far post. A fully firing Sterling would have nestled it in the bottom corner.
By the end of the game, Sterling had six attempts on goal, twice as many as any other player on the pitch without scoring. In the previous three Premier League seasons, Sterling scored 18, 17 and 20 goals: he is currently on nine after 28 games.
There is still time for Sterling to re-establish himself in Guardiola’s plans and cement his starting spot for the European Championship. Once he gets one goal, plenty should follow.
But right now, the ball just isn’t bouncing his way.
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