Raheem Sterling ready to step into Dele Alli's England role and step up to Pep Guardiola's challenges
Sterling had a poor international break last time but his club boss has told him to rise to the disappointments
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Your support makes all the difference.England are on the brink of World Cup qualification but there are other prizes on offer too for Gareth Southgate’s side as they face Slovenia. Like the possibility to reignite the international career of Raheem Sterling, the Manchester City forward who struggled in the last international break, hooked against Malta and dropped against Slovakia, but back in the frame at Wembley on Thursday evening.
On Saturday Pep Guardiola had said that Sterling must show his mettle when things were going against him with England, but on Wednesday afternoon Southgate backed Sterling to respond in the best possible way on the pitch.
With Dele Alli suspended, Sterling is likely to play in the number 10 role, behind Harry Kane, allowing him to attack the Slovenian centre-backs, and, Southgate hopes, to carry his club form into international football.
There is no doubt from Southgate that the 22-year-old can respond in the best possible way to his disappointments last time around.
“I think Raheem is a tough lad,” Southgate said. “That is one of the attributes I really like about him. He bounces back from disappointments and he goes again. He is ready for tomorrow. I can see he is ready for tomorrow and looking forward to it. He is in a good place with his club, he is working with a good coach there and we have huge belief in him as well.”
Guardiola had said on Saturday evening that Sterling had to stand up and take it when he found international football difficult. It was quite a forthright message from Guardiola but he has been pushing Sterling hard, trying to spark the improvement that he wants. “He has to know that the job is not easy, so he cannot expect that it always goes well,” Guardiola said. “I want to see him when it is going back in the national team, and how he reacts. He must not complain, he should show how good he is. That is the only way to become a better player.”
Sterling certainly has been impressing with City this season, making five starts already and with six goals to his name, including the crucial late equaliser against Everton and 97th minute winner against Bournemouth. After that goal Guardiola said he would be “one of the most amazing players” if only he were sharper in the box.
Southgate, too, is pleased with Sterling’s current form, and believes that his direct, spontaneous style will help to excite the Wembley crowd. “Raheem is in a really good moment, and he’s an exciting player,” he said. “We want the crowd to be excited with what they're watching tomorrow. Raheem is a player who can do that: he can beat people, his goalscoring record is improving, which is important, and he works hard for the team, chasing back and tackling. He's not just a winger.”
This is Sterling’s third season at City, who he joined from Liverpool, and Southgate said he was reaching the point of his career to turn his obvious potential into the consistent performances of a top player. “He is 23 later this year, so he's not old at all, but he's at a moment where, like a lot of these guys, the next few years are very important to establish themselves as top players,” he said. “Their experiences at their clubs will only benefit them, training with top players and playing in the Champions League. The opportunities to improve are always there. He recognises that.”
To help inspire England’s up and coming generation, former players such as Alan Shearer and John Barnes have been in to speak to them, and Southgate identified a potential connection between Sterling the latter, owing to their shared Jamaican roots as well as the similar styles of play.
“Alan [Shearer] came in and spoke this week, John Barnes came and spoke to us a few months ago,” Southgate said. He spoke to us about his experiences. We have some very exciting talent who want to go and express themselves, and we want to give them the framework to do that. I think it’s really valuable for the players to hear the experiences of former England internationals - their pride and sense of connection to the shirt, some of the lessons, things they would do differently, the reason they thought certain campaigns were successful and others weren’t.”
This campaign, which started in farce, is now on the brink of success, and England only need to draw at home with Slovenia in order to get there. But in Russia next June Southgate will need his most talented players performing, and that means getting the best out of Sterling as quickly as possible.
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