Manchester City continued their fine early-season form with a 5-1 thumping of Premier League debutants Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium, and manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick could be the first of many
Manchester City remained top of the league with a convincing 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. England international Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick, while former Swansea City hit-man Wilfried Bony grabbed a brace in what proved to be a comfortable victory for the Citizens.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini was pleased with the performance of his players — in particular, that of Sterling, who was hauled off at half time in his side’s 6-1 victory over Newcastle United in the last fixture before the recently-concluded international break.
Pellegrini believes Sterling can score more goals
The Chilean believes Sterling will score more goals than he did at Liverpool FC, but that he will have to improve his finishing. The 20-year-old has been known to scuff simple opportunities in front of goal, but his performance against Bournemouth would have reassured Manchester City fans.
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Pellegrini was quoted by FourFourTwo magazine after the thumping win as saying: “I think it was important for Raheem to score three goals. He must improve his finishing a he did that today, he’s young and will continue to get better.
“I don’t think he’s a striker like Kun [Aguero] or [Wilfried] Bony but this year, and I said it when he arrived, I am sure he will score more goals than he did at Liverpool. It was important for him and the team to change his position today. I thought that near Bony he could have a lot of space.”
The 62-year-old also explained his decision to substitute Ivorian Yaya Tour at half-time, saying: “It was not thinking about Sevilla, it was thinking about Yaya. He just played 45 minutes in the Champions League [against Borussia Monchengladbach] before he got in an injury.
“In the first 10 days of the international break he did nothing, so I thought 45 minutes was enough. It was not an important injury but one which prevented him from playing games.”
Sterling and Bony goals a positive sign for Manchester City
With star striker Sergio AgA?ero expected to miss at least a month of football, goals from Wilfried Bony and Raheem Sterling are a huge positive for Manchester City. The Ivory Coast striker has never really been able to establish himself in the side since his move from Swansea City in January this year, but the Argentine’s absence should give him a run of games.
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity has been evident in his short time at the club so far, and the Belgian is a more-than-able substitute as the team’s primary playmaker, in the absence of Spain international David Silva. Manchester City this season have the squad to absorb the loss of key players without a significant impact on the team’s performance — at least in the short term — and that is one of the reasons they will probably find themselves top of the league come May 2016.