Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has challenged Raheem Sterling to maintain the form he showed during last weekend's 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
Sterling had been in and out of Guardiola's starting lineup prior to Sunday's clash at the Etihad, but notched his fifth league goal of the season late on to secure all three points for the hosts.
Guardiola acknowledged that the 22-year-old's performances had dropped in recent weeks following a bright start, but hopes that the performance against Arsenal is the start of another purple patch for the England international.
"In the last game, he came back to the level he started the season. The last month and a half, he was a little bit down, but you can forget how young he is. He needs to live a lot of experience to become more stable. In general, his performance has been high and we need this guy for one against one," he told reporters.
"Of course, he is not our top scorer, but he has to feel how beautiful it is to score goals, how important it is for the team and for him as well. He scored a beautiful goal in the last game and he gave us a lot during the first month and a half. He was our key, key player in front and of course we need him.
"He can play more narrow, he can do that. Sometimes I say to him, 'You need to play wide, wide, wide and stay there and make action one against one'. When he does that, it's difficult for him to get into the box. But for example, the first goal against Sunderland, he played wide like a winger but he arrived on the penalty spot [and won a penalty]. I think the strikers and the wingers they have to move how they feel, especially in the last metres."
Sterling is expected to start once again when Man City take on Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on Boxing Day.
