Raheem Sterling became a topic of conversation during Pep Guardiola’s press conference after drawing with Arsenal.
Arsenal escaped defeat thanks to Gabriel Martinelli, who scored a 93rd-minute equaliser to spare Mikel Arteta’s blushes.
For the third consecutive game, Arteta’s team selection was questioned, with Mikel Merino starting in the number ten role once again.
Changes were needed at half-time, as Man City went ahead after nine minutes thanks to Erling Haaland, a goal that reflected the visitors’ ability to hit Arsenal on the counter.
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Pep Guardiola mentions Raheem Sterling after Arsenal’s dominance against Man City
It was far from a typical Man City performance, as Guardiola had to change his tactics to get a result against Arsenal.
Arteta would’ve been flattered by how differently City had to approach the contest, as Guardiola took up a ‘park the bus’ method, scrapping his philosophy.
After the game, the Man City manager couldn’t escape being asked about the way that City played.
“We try not to be like this, but when the opponent is better and we have Erling who can run with such power, we have to do this,” Guardiola said about his team having to strike on the counter.
The Spaniard then brought Raheem Sterling into the conversation, mentioning how lethal the former Arsenal loanee used to be on the counter for City.
“Remember how many counterattacks we scored with Leroy [Sane], Raheem [Sterling] and Kevin [De Bruyne]? I would prefer not to do it, but I would expect in this level we have to do it.”
It was a surprise for many to hear Sterling’s name uttered at the Emirates after the winger’s atrocious season on loan at Arsenal last term.
Arsenal’s dominance shows room for improvement
As much as Guardiola didn’t want to play on the counter, Arsenal’s control of the fixture forced the visitors to do so.
Though it was a positive, Arsenal’s strengths in the game also exposed the Gunners’ weaknesses.
| Arsenal | Statistic | Man City |
| 67% | Possession | 33% |
| 0.96 | Expected goals | 0.89 |
| 1 | Big chances | 2 |
| 12 | Shots | 5 |
| 2 | Goalkeeper saves | 2 |
| 11 | Corners | 1 |
| 581 | Passes | 295 |
For all of the control Arsenal had over City in terms of possession, shots, corners and passes, the visitors so nearly won the game.
Arteta had to wait until the 93rd minute to have some breathing space, as it would’ve been a catastrophe to see City walk away from a game so dominated by the hosts with three points.
On a day that saw City reduced to just 33% of possession, perhaps the most surprising element was to hear Sterling’s name mentioned around N5.
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