Macintosh: Sterling and Delph improve Man City

No matter how big the bang, the dust always settles eventually and, though Manchester City’s two high-profile summer signings arrived at the Etihad Stadium last week still feverishly digging their way out of public relations nightmares, this will soon pass.

Football’s news cycle is so rapid and hysterical that it will only be a matter of days before something else has everyone up in arms. What really matters is whether or not Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph can take City forward. All evidence suggests that they can.

Last season was a bad one for City, much as it was the last time they tried to defend a title in 2012-13. And yet, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, certainly at the end. Manuel Pellegrini’s men took all 18 points from those final six matches, including a victory away at Tottenham Hotspur and a particularly hard-fought battle with Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

While it is true there was a point last season when Champions League qualification was genuinely in jeopardy, City rallied and ended up finishing second, four points ahead of third-placed Arsenal and a whopping 15 clear of Spurs in fifth.

The damage to their hopes of retaining the Premier League title had been done earlier in the campaign, but at least there was no suggestion that the players had stopped giving their manager their all, as it seemed they had with Roberto Mancini in 2012-13, when City picked up only 10 points from their last six games.

Not that second place can be considered a success, of course. So much money has been spent at that football club that anything short of a hard-fought, down-to-the-wire title challenge will always be considered a failure, especially when it is matched with another early exit from the Champions League.

It was obvious through City’s spring time wobbles that new blood was required and that the low-key reinforcements of the summer of 2014 had fallen short. But with the signings of Sterling and Delph, and indeed of Fulham’s Patrick Roberts, that need for fresh impetus has been fulfilled.

City’s major concern this summer was the acquisition of homegrown players. With the departures of James Milner, Frank Lampard, Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair and Dedryck Boyata, the only players left to fulfil UEFA criteria were Joe Hart, Gael Clichy and Richard Wright.

That’s just one reason why they were happy to pay so much — £49 million — for Sterling, a precocious 20-year-old with fewer than 100 league games under his belt. But Sterling can do far more than tick administrative boxes.

He may have complained about playing in so many different positions at Liverpool, but that experience will be crucial at City where his versatility means that he’ll be able to come off either flank, operate behind Sergio Aguero or even play centre-forward if injuries once again disrupt the Argentine striker’s campaign.

He still has much to learn, but Sterling is swift, full of tricks and he’s proven himself brave enough to cope with any roughhousing. Compare and contrast him with the sad-faced trudging of Edin Dzeko, scorer of a grand total of four league goals last season, or the wayward final deliveries of Jesus Navas.

Pellegrini told reporters this week that the cost of Sterling was unimportant and he’s right. Everyone at this level is expensive and City don’t have to worry about their finances like most other clubs. After all, it’s not as if this inflated deal means that senior management will have to start bringing in their own packed lunches.

As for the pressure of the price tag, Sterling will be fine. He might not have enjoyed the controversy of recent weeks, but it will benefit him in the long term. If he can sustain the fallout from this move, he’s hardly going to bothered what the papers say about his early performances.

“Sterling is a seriously good signing,” said Steven Allweis, editor of Manchester City blog ‘View From A Blue.’ “Forget the money for a moment, he’s everything City needed. He has explosive pace, bags of energy, bundles of skill and at the age of 20, playing next to Sergio Aguero and David Silva every week, he’ll only improve.”

Delph is not so spectacular a player, but the impact he will have on midfield will be, if anything, even stronger. Fernandinho was effective enough last season but fellow midfielder Fernando seems a profoundly average footballer, fit for little more at this level than emergency cover.

The ex-Porto man might improve during his second season in England, but there’s no evidence to suggest that an impending transformation is on the cards. Delph, tenacious and rapid, will be an instant upgrade.

“When City don’t play well and struggle to break sides down, there is a total lack of energy and dynamism,” said Allweis. “Delph has those qualities and he’ll be a decent foil for the more creative players. He’s not the midfielder who will get City any closer to Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and I still think City need a top signing in that central area but, at the very worst, Delph will be a good squad player.”

Delph was criticised for agreeing a move to City just days after he turned them down and pledged his loyalty to Aston Villa, but the only thing he’s guilty of is rushing into decisions. Had he left first time around, it would have passed almost without comment. He is a fine young player who has broken into the England side and is quite entitled to take this opportunity.

Until last week, City arguably had the most to fear from the possibility of a rejuvenated Liverpool. Chelsea were head and shoulders above the rest of the league last season and had no pressing need for big money signings, but Manchester United have spent heavily in areas that have been crying out for improvement for years and Arsenal have, at last, recruited a world-class goalkeeper.

City had kept their powder dry but they’re making some noise now and it may not be over yet. Pellegrini won’t be drawn on speculation, but there might be one more big deal to come. The controversy of the summer will pass, but City are already a better football team.

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