Raheem Sterling reveals what Juan Mata said to him during Manchester derby

Raheem Sterling has responded to comments that he was being purposefully disrespectful at the end of the Manchester derby last month.

Towards the end of the match, Sterling was embroiled in a heated exchange with an upset Juan Mata, who apparently told the former Liverpool player to “show a little bit of respect.” (via Mirror)

Indeed, he claims his antics were not, as widely claimed “show-boating”. Rather, they were simply an attempt to run down the clock.

“I was keeping the ball in the corner. I can understand if we had lost the ball, and they’d gone down the other end, but I am trying to waste time, attract a foul.

“I wasn’t trying to take the mickey out of them that they have lost. That’s not my thing”, said the 23-year-old.

“I wouldn’t. I was just trying to keep the ball in the corner and entertain the fans at the same time.”

Whether the fans needed any extra entertaining when they were beating their local rivals 3-1 is somewhat of a moot point. However, there is no denying many City fans were appreciative of Sterling’s efforts. Indeed, his step-overs were met with cheers of “Ole.” (via Daily Mail sport)

Regardless, of any support from the fans, he was immediately given a stern talking to by his own manager, Pep Guardiola, before he was even off the pitch.

“He doesn’t want us to disrespect anyone.” He said of the Spaniard who is looking to be the first manager to retain the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009. Sterling also admitted this dressing down came as a “surprise”, which clearly visible in footage of the post-match exchange.

Sterling performance

Despite this controversy, Sterling has been in good form so far this season. Having scored eight goals, he is currently City’s joint top goalscorer (alongside Sergio Aguero).

He has also provided six assists, again City’s best.

If he keeps up this form, he could well be on to surpass last season’s tallies which saw him manage 18 goals and 11 assists in 33 league games. So far this season, he has played 12 league games.

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