Has Raheem Sterling Improved Since Swapping Liverpool for Manchester City?

In the opinion of many on Merseyside, Raheem Sterling made a mistake swapping Liverpool for Manchester City this summer. 

They believed Anfield was the best place for him to develop. At City, they said, he'd sit on the bench and rot in the shadow of more established stars. 

So far, it seems those assertions may have been misguided. Sterling has started 10 of City's 12 Premier League matches and every Champions League game. He's already a key player, with Manuel Pellegrini clear in his belief he has one of the best young talents in the game at his disposal. 

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“Raheem Sterling is one of the best attacking players in world football, and I am very much looking forward to him joining our squad out in Australia later this week," Pellegrini told the club's official website when Sterling finally put pen to paper in July after a protracted transfer saga.

“He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team."

The 20-year-old is by no means the finished article. Sterling has underwhelmed in some games, spending too much time on the periphery of matches instead of impacting them with his pace and technique.

His finishing, at times, has lacked composure, and despite scoring six already this season, Pellegrini has made it clear he wants him to improve. 

"I knew he scored 11 for Liverpool, but I don't think that's a huge amount for Raheem,” Pellegrini said after Sterling had scored the opener against Sevilla recently. “He must score more and to do that he must work a lot.

“He soon settled into our style of play and I'm happy that he has six already, but of course Raheem is a young player and I was sure from the beginning that he must improve a lot."

However, his hat-trick against Bournemouth represents his best display of finishing, with his second a brilliant moment of skill and assuredness. He put three Cherries players on the turf before slotting home neatly. 

But it was his performance in the win of Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium that really excited. He destroyed the La Liga side's defence from the off and scored a brilliant goal. It was a brave, intelligent display, and one that should become the yardstick for him to measure himself against. 

Overall, he's made an excellent start, but there's room for improvement. 

Statistics released by EA Sports Player Performance Index show that Sterling is making good progress since moving to the Etihad.

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When comparing the first 12 league games of this season with his first 12 of his final year at Liverpool, he is taking more shots, scoring more goals per minute and is completing more passes, particularly in the final third. 

He has attempted 249 passes in the opposition half this season, up significantly on the 225 when at Liverpool, and he is completing more of them—80 per cent compared to 69 per cent. overall, his pass completion rate currently stands at 86 per cent compared to 79 per cent last season. 

He is prepared to take a shot on every 45 minutes in a City shirt, whereas he would shoot once every 59 minutes last season.

It seems he feels less inhibited playing for Pellegrini than he did under Brendan Rodgers. His four league goals this season equate to a goal every 193 minutes—an improvement on his goal every 334 minutes at this stage last season. 

He has a lot of work to do, but Sterling has everything needed to become one of the top players in world football. He's making steady progress already at City and developing into an important member of their squad. 

The initial £44 million fee will seem like a bargain if he fulfils his potential and delivers for City over a long period of time. 

Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.