5 dramatic changes at Manchester City that allowed them to succeed in 2017/18

#5 Raheem Sterling has improved immeasurably

Raheem Sterling has had his best season to date

When Raheem Sterling signed for City back in the summer of 2015, he was already bringing a lot of baggage with him due to the nature in which he left Liverpool. Labelled a “money grabber” by a great number of fans, he struggled throughout 2015/16 and then endured a poor Euro 2016 tournament with England.

Pep Guardiola would’ve been well within his rights to get rid of the young attacker, but instead he offered nothing but faith, and while Sterling didn’t deliver hugely in 2016/17, he did show signs of improvement.

2017/18, however, has shown Sterling get back to the kind of form he showed in his early days at Liverpool – the type of form that made City part with just under £50m to sign him in the first place.

His best tally of league goals prior to this season had been 9 with Liverpool in 2013/14 – a figure he’s been able to double thus far this season, making him the 4th best goalscorer in the league – ahead of the likes of Jamie Vardy and Romelu Lukaku.

He’s also chipped in with 11 assists – again his best career total, meaning he’s been involved in 29 of City’s league goals this season. It’s simply been a case of Guardiola being able to get the best out of his player, giving him back the confidence he’d lost along the way after so much criticism.

The turnaround in fortunes for Sterling is perhaps the biggest change City have made this season, and while he’s not the absolute reason for their success, his upward momentum sums up City under Guardiola more so than any other player.