Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 6y

Pep Guardiola: Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling have 'big, big gap' to improve

WEST BROMWICH -- Pep Guardiola has told Manchester City attackers Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling that they still can make a lot of improvements to their game.

Both of them scored as City maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-2 win away to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

But Guardiola says Sane, 21, and Sterling, 22, must not stop trying to develop their games if they are to get to the very top.

"Sane is a guy with a special talent and he scored a fantastic goal but always I say to him and Raz -- again another goal -- they still have a big, big gap to improve," Guardiola told a news conference.

"I would like to tell them to be calm. Scoring goals is so important, playing well is so important, but still they can do better -- I have no doubt about that.

"They are so young and we will take that opportunity to work with them and maybe we can help them.

"[They can improve] in the simple things. If you have the ball, don't lose the ball. I don't ask you to dribble, I don't ask for good crosses, I don't ask for good shots, simple things. And both of them have an important thing to do."

But Guardiola added that he is looking for improvements from his whole team despite remaining unbeaten and winning 14 of their opening 15 games in all competitions this season.

The City boss felt his side were not clinical enough in the win over West Brom and that there were too many errors against a Baggies side that had failed to win their previous eight games.

"We had mistakes in the front and mistakes in the back," he said.

"We won a lot games in the last two months in a good way, in an attractive way -- scoring a lot of goals, the quality of the passing, quick and simple.

"[Against West Brom] it was not easy because the opponent is so physically strong and we did it good."

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