Raheem Sterling is one of the best wingers on the planet, playing for a team that creates numerous chances.
Over the last couple of years with Manchester City, he has established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in the Premier League and the Champions League, netting at least 20 goals in the last three seasons in those two competitions alone.
However, it wasn’t always the case.
During his tenure with Liverpool and the first years after moving over to Etihad, Sterling wasn’t even close to being a clinical finisher.
So, it’s interesting to see how the Englishman transformed his finishing ability over the years and in this football data analysis we will be using shot maps as a way to identify his progress.
The first takeaway from this data visualisation is that Sterling wasn’t an efficient shooter in Liverpool by any means.
In 2014, there were numerous outside shots, and the majority of shots were taken from the edge of the penalty area.
Moreover, very few shots near the six-yard box were used.
In the next few years, 2015 and 2016, the winger became more focused on shooting inside the penalty area.
Working under Pep Guardiola and receiving individual coaching sessions with Mikel Arteta had a significant impact, resulting in a notable increase in shooting volume and, consequently, improved individual statistics, starting in 2016.
What’s more important is the increased number of goals from more dangerous positions, and you can see that in 2017 and 2018, there are a lot of goals in the six-yard box – simple tap-ins.
His movement and finishing improved, and with that, the quality of his chances improved too.
After these highly successful seasons, opponents began adjusting their defensive strategy more frequently, making it increasingly difficult for City’s attackers to play in their usual manner and forcing some adjustments.
There were fewer tap-in finishes for Sterling in the 2019/20 season; however, this did not have a decisive effect on his numbers.
On the contrary, he broke his goalscoring record for the Premier League campaign, scoring 20 goals in the competition.
Raheem Sterling is still only 25, and he’s managed to keep his scoring records on the highest level over the years.
He was on a goalless streak at the beginning of this calendar year, and he discussed changing his mentality when it comes to scoring in interviews.
This player is willing to adapt in order to succeed, so there is no indication that he won’t continue to deliver results in the future.
