Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points

#1 Squad depth and that boy Sterling

Nobody likes a snob. After seeing all his shenanigans from a couple of years back when Liverpool weren't willing to let him go, you'd be excused for having a sour taste in your mouth. And most people, Scousers in particular, would have just sat back hoping to be gifted an opportunity to belt him if at all he doesn't realize his true potential.

What a cynical thought! But who cares now? Raheem Sterling is one of the most menacing forces of destruction in Pep's arsenal at the moment. He is 3rd in the list of top scorers this season with 13 goals and his record is only bettered by the inimitable Mo Salah and Harry freaking Kane.

Sterling puts it all on show now, precise passing, intelligent running and a newly acquired ability to link up with teammates in the most enviable fashion. He twists and turns and drives around causing chaos. His calmness in front of goal is reassuring.

Manchester City started the game without David Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane. Though Jesus was brought on for an injured Kompany, City never looked like they were stripped off their riches at any point in the game. They're just that damn good. If they were clinical in front of goal, this would have looked more like a Manchester City result.

Having this kindof squad depth is exactly what will ensure City's presence in Europe's elite competition, maybe until the very end.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith