by Raheem Sterling’s critics should know better than to write him off. Nobody should have been surprised by the player’s response to being sidelined during Chelsea’s disastrous home defeat at Wolves this month. It was typical for Sterling to win back his place in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI and disrupt Manchester City’s title charge by scoring against his old team last weekend.
Confrontation is nothing new for the 29-year-old. Sterling is a victim of racial abuse. He was a trailblazer away from the pitch but there is still a sense that some people are waiting for him to fall. Even now, nine years on from his move from Liverpool to City, the idea persists that Sterling is driven less by a hunger to succeed on the pitch and more by the size of his bank balance.
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Luckily Sterling has enough experience to keep things in perspective. The jerseys that greeted his substitution during the Wolves match did not lie to him. Sterling, who is looking to start in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, knows it comes with the end and made no bones about being dropped by Pochettino for the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Aston Villa three days later.
The competitive spirit surfaced. Chelsea were resurgent against Villa, a front three of Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke impressing in a 3-1 win, and it was easy to assume that Sterling would be on the sidelines. After all, did he really fit into Chelsea’s youth project? He had a wild first summer under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital but it’s hard to see them focusing on his profile now. The ethos has changed. Chelsea did not sign a player over the age of 25 last summer.
But Sterling worked to maintain his influence. His commitment was highlighted when he came on in the 79th minute against Crystal Palace last week and played a key role in Conor Gallagher’s winning goal. Then, after pulling Madueke out of the lineup against City, he was vital to Pochettino’s counter-attacking plan and marked a fine display by latching on to Jackson’s clever pass, eluding Kyle Walker and opening the scoring with a calm finish.
Sterling didn’t look as if he’d been coasting. Although he has not lived up to expectations since joining Chelsea, he wants the move to be successful. He understands that the club is in the beginning of rebuilding. It was not like the frictionless environment he had at City, where everything moved so smoothly on and off the pitch.
Now comes the opportunity to change the situation. Sterling won the League Cup five times at City so meeting Liverpool at Wembley is nothing new for him. However, the dynamic is interesting. This is the first men’s final for Chelsea’s owners and Sterling has said it would feel like a sweet victory after the club’s criticism of the past two years.
Sterling could have taken the easy way out and gone to Saudi Arabia last summer. He was hailed as Chelsea’s “marquee” signing when they bought him for £47.5m and handed him a contract worth around £300,000 a week. However, Thomas Tuchel, who dreamed of building his attack around Sterling, would soon be gone. The rot set in. Sterling was working hard with a hamstring injury and often played out of position. People expected him to finish the season with more than nine goals. Todd Boehly even tried to give him a pep talk in the dressing room after he was beaten by Brighton.
Boehly’s intervention was not taken lightly by Sterling. He returned for pre-season in better shape. There is talk that he showed his leadership skills by spending time helping Chelsea’s young players. He has been looking after Palmer since the playwright moved out of the City.
But the most important thing is Sterling’s form. He started this season encouragingly, although not well enough to convince Gareth Southgate to include him in the England squad. Other wide players have risen through the ranks and Sterling, who has not played for his country since the World Cup, looks set to go to Euro 2024.
All he can do to convince Southgate to bring him back is to keep playing well. Sterling is not perfect. He has had erratic spells this season and his decision-making is frustrating. But he is enjoying life under Pochettino. The Argentine has boosted Sterling’s belief by giving him the freedom to play from the crease and use his pace against tall defences.
A trusted manager helps. If Sterling feels free and confident then he will still be able to destroy any goal. He has had good games against the big teams this season and is posting decent numbers. He scored six times and registered three assists in the league, and his goal against City surpassed Steven Gerrard’s Premier League tally of 120.
He doesn’t sound like a player who is slowing down. One theory is that Sterling, who relies on pace, has the kind of burnout that strikes players who break into the first team at a young age. There are many miles on the clock. He is not a teenager who became a Liverpool regular 12 years ago.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sterling has matured and is more accurate. It hasn’t been an easy 18 months but Sterling doesn’t believe the end is in sight. He has only ever known pressure. Chelsea will hope he can rise to the occasion on Sunday.
