5 things we've learned about Manchester City so far this season

#2 Sterling has truly come of age and City have Guardiola to thank for it

Guardiola has helped Sterling take his game to the next level.

As much as Guardiola could possibly be criticised for being a cheque book manager, the fact of the matter still remains that he has an equally good eye for spotting talent. And, the development of Sergio Busquets at Barcelona is a testament to this fact.

Having been promoted to the Barcelona first team by Guardiola, the Spaniard has gone on to establish himself as the fulcrum of Barcelona’s storied style of play in the last decade or so.

And it was Guardiola’s penchant for spotting talent that once again saw something really special in Raheem Sterling. So much so, that the Spanish gaffer singled out the Englishman as the one player he wanted to develop during his time at the Etihad Stadium.

Now, ‘develop’ is the key word here. On the face of it, Sterling possesses pace and skill in abundance, both of which are fundamental requirements one needs to succeed as a winger. The two things that Sterling needed to improve on though, was first, his finishing and secondly and more importantly, he needed to add an element of consistency to his performances.

And one and a half years into Guardiola’s tenure, everyone can see that the Spaniard has helped Sterling take his game to the next level by plugging the gaps in his game. Over the course of the first half of this season, Sterling has already racked up an impressive 13 goals and 6 assists in the Premier League so far, which is a testament to the fact that he’s begun to realize his true potential as a footballer.

But what’s more significant is the fact that Sterling has stepped up for City when his team needed someone to do so the most and his match-winning strikes against Bournemouth and Huddersfield are proof of this, and the credit for Sterling’s coming of age goes completely to Guardiola.