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| Raheem Sterling made his Man City debut in their 3-0 opening day win over West Bromwich Albion |
RAHEEM STERLING has been backed to justify his £49m price tag by emerging as Manchester City's talisman in the matches which will heavily influence the destiny of the title.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes it is in the heavyweight showdowns, such as the visit of Chelsea to The Etihad tomorrow, that Sterling will reveal why he commanded a record transfer fee for an English player.
Chelsea were among the clubs interested in the England attacker, but did not want to be drawn into an auction for the then Liverpool player which opened the way for City to close the deal.
Pellegrini now expects the first significant repayment on that lofty fee will come against Jose Mourinho's team as City seek to make a statement and open up a five-point lead on the champions.
City claimed just six points from six games against last season's top-four rivals of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United and Pellegrini knows that trend needs to be reversed if they are to prevail this term.
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| Sterling celebrates scoring against AS Roma in pre-season |
"Sterling will be a very dangerous player," said Pellegrini, who has not beaten Mourinho in four Premier League tussles and has won just twice in 13 matches against his nemesis during their careers.
"Maybe we were criticised for the amount we paid for him, but I am sure he will demonstrate during the year, especially against the big teams, why he was valued so much.
"I am sure he will score more goals than he did before. It is important for him to improve every year. I think last year he scored 11 in all competitions. I am sure this season he will improve."
Sterling linked up well with the likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure in Monday's comfortable 3-0 win over West Brom and Pellegrini must decide whether to start Sergio Aguero, who was restricted to a substitutes role at The Hawthorns following his Copa America commitments.
The prospect of teaming up with City's galaxy of stars was one of the reasons Sterling pushed to quit Anfield and Pellegrini believes the youngsters development will benefit as a result.
"It is always important for young players to play with good players," he said. "You can improve in the same way he did with Luis Suarez or [Steven] Gerrard for Liverpool.
"Here he will play with David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure. Players that will make him improve in a lot of ways.
"Young players always learn from important players. It is very important for them to play with him."
While City are continuing to push for a deal for Wolfsburg's Kevin de Bruyne - Barcelona's Pedro would be an alternative - Pellegrini's primary focus is adding to Mourinhos problems following this weeks doctor-gate.
It is normally Chelsea who set the pace under Mourinho and the importance of opening a five-point lead over the champions, even at this early stage, is one Pellegrini is anxious to seize.
"It is very important for our team to beat an important team like Chelsea, to beat the champions of last season," he added. "It always gives you more trust for what you are doing.
"Also, it gives you the chance to make a gap from the beginning. We are not thinking about the title but it is important to make a gap against the big teams. For our team to win the three points would be important."
The collision will be the first game played at the new expanded Etihad Stadium, which now boasts an increased capacity of 55,000. Some 6,000 extra seats have been added to the South Stand and 1,500 seats around the pitch so supporters are closer to the action.
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