Suddenly, Raheem Sterling has become one of Manchester City’s most important players

By Rudi Kinsella

Raheem Sterling: invaluable. Raheem Sterling: still underappreciated.

Manchester City are the best team in the Premier League, there are no two ways about that. They've been the better team in every match they've played this season, in the league, in the cup, in Europe. Pep Guardiola hasn't just put together a side consistently producing mouthwatering football, but he's built an unbelievable squad, to the point that every single player is replaceable with an equal stand-in - every single player bar two. Raheem Sterling is one of them. Ederson is the other - for very different, Bravo-shaped reasons. Take Aguero. If he picks up a knock, Gabriel Jesus steps in, and is nearly as dangerous. If David Silva gets injured, Bernardo Silva can do a similar job. Yaya Toure can come in and dominate a game. The list goes on:

• Walker - Danilo
• Stones - Kompany
• Otamendi - Mangala
• Delph - Mendy
• Fernandinho - Gundogan
• De Bruyne - Foden
• Ederson - Bravo

Listen, obviously they are only one goalkeeper injury away from certain implosion but they've another player they simply cannot do without. Raheem Sterling is that player. For some reason, the Englishman faces a lot of criticism. Part of it is because he broke into the first team so early, making his Liverpool debut at 16. Another part of it is because of how wasteful he is in front of goal. More accurately, how wasteful he was in front of goal. He is lightning quick. He has a habit of standing up the full back, bringing him to a complete halt, and then ghosting past him like he's not even there. It means he gets in position to score a lot of goals, and he hadn't been doing that. Not until now at least. That argument is no longer valid. This season, he has scored 12 goals in 18 games in all competitions. It's a record that a top striker would be proud of, never mind a wide player. Although he can still be a bit wasteful in front of the nets, as long as he continues to get himself in these positions, he's going to bag an awful lot of goals, especially in this City side. Now we'll skim over the fact that he's still only bloody 22. There's a word used in basketball, that defines players who always pop up with the goods when it really matters. With seconds left, with a point or two in it, they will win the game for you. That word is clutch. Raheem Sterling is clutch. Some of Man City's closest games this season will tell you everything you need to know about his bottle. Notice anything? Raheem Sterling is the man coming up with the goods, when City need someone to. And he scored a late, late winner for City again against Huddersfield. Admittedly, it was quite a lucky goal, but it was him who won the penalty as well. And then with moments left, he drove into the box, and although the goal came after a bit of pinball, it was him there. It has been him there all season. Kevin De Bruyne has been amazing too and he deserves all the plaudits. So does Aguero. So does Sane. But none have been better than Raheem Sterling. And, by the looks of it, he's only going to keep getting better and better. Whether his critics like it or not.