I was at the stadium on Saturday when the player missed the chance. You should have heard how many fans were yelling and groaning at him.
At the time, Manchester City were up by three. I didn't say anything to the people near me, but I thought they needed to calm down after that first shot.
It is nothing new. The City player seems to get that extreme reaction more than any other player. It doesn't matter how many goals he scores or the good things he does in a game - if he misses, it's typical of him.
I understand why he frustrates fans when he scores hard goals but misses easy chances. Even though he is the top scorer in the competition with 23 goals, I still feel that way when I watch him.
I think he has even more to offer because I feel he lacks quality.
He will bring the ball down with a perfect first touch, go past three players, and then waste it all by trying to do too much in front of the goal.
| Most shots | Mins per shot | On target | Conversion | Goals |
| 1. Joao Cancelo (66) | 42.1 | 49% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 2. Kevin de Bruyne (63) | 29.3 | 59% | 17.5% | 11 |
| 3. Riyad Mahrez (57) | 23.4 | 51% | 19% | 11 |
| 4. Gabriel Jesus (55) | 28.1 | 58% | 13% | 7 |
| 5. Phil Foden (52) | 35.7 | 57% | 15% | 8 |
| 6. Raheem Sterling (49) | 37.2 | 61% | 20% | 10 |
If he did the simple things, he would have the same statistics as Mohamed Salah, who is currently scoring 40 goals a season.
It is different with sterling. It is almost as if a lot of the fans feel he is not good enough for City and it is always going to be that way.
He will never be appreciated even if he scores a lot of goals or helps City win a trophy.
His numbers are amazing. He has hit 112 goals in 286 games in the premier league, and 55 assists, since he joined in 2015. That is brilliant for someone who is used as a wide forward most of the time.
There is more to him than his role in this City side. He is a player who can affect the game by being on the pitch and making runs.
He is so clever with the way he runs that he leaves gaps for others to exploit. If he is playing, defenders cannot rest.
If he left, City would miss him a lot, and I wish the people who criticize him would see the bigger picture, rather than just talk about the chances he missed.
Gabriel Jesus is out of contract in 2023 and, until either of them sign an extension, they are going to be linked with other clubs.
I read stories last week about City trying to keep both of them if they can, but for me it is simple - City have to try to keep them both if they can.
Both of them can play on both wings or down the middle. They know how to play in the system and excel at it.
I don't think it's the case that Sterling has slipped down the pecking order in recent months, despite the fact that game-time might be an issue in persuading Jesus to stay.
He has been in and out of the team, but many other players have found themselves out of favor for a period of time. At the end of last season, it happened to him as well.
When his form is up and down, he always comes back strong. He was written off before the European Championship but ended up being one of the stars of the tournament.
He is only 27. There will be times when he should score more, but I would argue that the same could be said for a few other City players given the number of chances the team creates.
When he joined City, he cost them 49 million dollars. Can you imagine how much it would cost to bring in a player who would do what he does?
One of the problems thatPep has is that he has to leave some of his forwards out. He has some hard decisions to make when Real Madrid travel to Manchester to play in the first leg of the semi-finals.
The last time City played Real was when the delayed season was over.
The front three of Jesus, Foden, and Sterling and their energy, pace, and relentless pressing unsettled Real as City won the second leg and went on to win the tie.
In the first leg at the Bernabeu, he went with a completely different formation.
After coming on for the last 17 minutes, Sterling scared Real with his runs at their defence and won a penalty which Kevin de Bruyne converted to give City an impressive late win.
If City were at full strength at the back, I think they would leave him out of the starting XI again, go with a front three of Foden, Jesus and the like, and just look to use him in a similar way from the bench.
With one first-choice full-back, Joao Cancelo, suspended and another, Kyle Walker, an injury doubt, City could have a weakness defensively down each side.
I would love to have him in the team because he seems to make a difference with a goal or an assist, but he might have to step aside because Jesus has to play on the right.
He scored four goals at the weekend, but City will need his work-rate to deal with Vinicius Jr.'s threat down that flank. In the league, he was started at home and away against the other teams.
Foden has to play on the left because he provides a spark like he did when he set up De Bruyne for the winner against Atleti Madrid in the first leg of the last round.
He hasn't found the net in his past six matches for City, but we knowPep still trusts him because he keeps picking him.
If he plays against Real and helps City win, it would be typical of him.
Richards was talking to Chris Bevan.
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