On the eve of Raheem Sterling’s return to Manchester City for the first time since his summer switch to London, Graham Potter has been discussing the forward’s form and why improving the team’s performance will be key to getting more out of individuals.
The Blues head to the north-west in the third round of the Carabao Cup aiming to end a run of back-to-back defeats at the hands of Brighton and Arsenal. Amid that period, the spotlight has fallen upon Sterling, who hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since the end of August.
Potter acknowledges that the England international is not performing at his best but he believes that is down to wider issues within the team’s structure that the head coach himself needs to solve.
‘You can tell by his reaction that he’s honest,’ said Potter. ‘Players go through moments in their careers where it isn’t so positive and sometimes they have moments where everything they touch is gold. I don’t think you can zoom into the individual.
‘The team isn’t functioning as well as I would like and that has an impact on individuals. Raheem is an individual in the team so the work for us is to try and improve the team’s structure. I have no doubt about Raheem’s quality and ability. He’s a proven top player.’
Managing players through these difficult moments is a key part of the job and Potter accepts that a tumultuous few months have made adjusting to a new club even more challenging.
‘You have to do that constantly, it’s what the job entails,’ he said of nurturing the dressing room.
‘It’s not just for him [Sterling] but for lots of players because it’s been a tough period with lots of things happening, lots of transition and change, new faces in the dressing room, new faces everywhere. We’re trying to get it all to gel and settle down.’
The trip to the Etihad Stadium comes towards the end of a hectic schedule and just days before the World Cup break yet Potter insists he will select his strongest team to take on the cup holders.
‘It’s not about me or my ego,’ he added. ‘It’s about doing what’s right for the team and the club. We have to go to Manchester City and be competitive because for sure they will be trying to win the game. We have to be as strong as we can, which we will, and we’ll do our best to prepare the team.
‘We’ll play the game. We have to go there, be competitive and try to win because I think that mentality is important.
‘We’re not in a place where we can say this game doesn’t matter. We want to be competitive because that’s how you learn and it’s an important part of the process.’