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TL;DR
- Sunday, May 7, 2023 11:22 (GMT+7)
- 22 hours ago
Raheem Sterling has lost himself since moving to Chelsea in the summer of 2022. The England international is now a shadow of himself.
Around this time a year ago, Sterling scored twice in Man City's 5-0 win over Newcastle. "The Citizens" started to have a big advantage in the title race.
Three days later, Sterling scored the final goal in a 5-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Premier League title was getting closer for the Manchester side. Sterling also played a key role in the comeback against Aston Villa in round 38 of the Premier League. He came on as a substitute after half-time and made his first assist, helping Man City win 3-2.
Sterling declines
Sterling won his fourth Premier League title with Man City. However, his status had been greatly reduced before that. The proof was the former Liverpool star being eliminated in the two legs of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
Even if Sterling proves to be vital for the club for the remainder of the season, that won't stop a move from happening in the summer of 2022. Sterling left Man City for £47m. He joined Chelsea with the desire to prove himself more. Sterling can't stand the prospect of being left out of important games.
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Sterling has only scored four goals in the Premier League this season. Photo: Reuters . |
A year has passed and things are getting darker for Sterling. In the match against AFC Bournemouth in the 35th round of the Premier League on May 6, the English striker had to be on the bench. This striker was brought on by coach Frank Lampard in the 63rd minute and assisted Joao Felix to seal a 3-1 victory for "The Blues". Chelsea temporarily escaped the crisis with a series of losses and draws.
At the Vitality Stadium, Sterling's performance was acceptable. However, that was not enough for the £47 million transfer fee Chelsea spent to recruit the player. Answering Sky Sports , Sterling admitted that this was one of the worst moments of his career.
Indeed, the former Liverpool star has only scored 2 goals and 1 assist in all competitions since the beginning of the year. In all fronts Sterling has played in the 2022/23 season, he has scored 7 goals in 34 matches, the lowest number since the 2013/14 season.
During his time at Man City, Sterling always scored 10 or more goals in all competitions. In the 2019/20 season, the English striker scored 31 goals, including 20 in the Premier League. Now, Sterling has only scored 4 goals in 24 matches in the top flight of England.
Sterling was once considered "England's best player". Chelsea were not at all discouraged when they agreed to spend 47 million pounds to buy this striker, at the same time making him one of the highest-earning stars of the club with 325,000 pounds/week. According to the Telegraph , Sterling is an important part of the Chelsea building plan of new owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
The Blues have placed a lot of faith in Sterling. They expect the 28-year-old striker's experience and talent to turn Chelsea into a powerful force, capable of competing for all titles with Man City. The London representative has also brought in many new players in recent times, but if there is any contract that is expected to be the most successful, it is Sterling.
What's going on with Sterling?
"Sterling has had an incredible career," Lampard said at the club's Cobham headquarters on May 5. "I've spent the last three years talking to the younger wingers I've worked with, showing them videos of Raheem Sterling defending and attacking. What Sterling has done is incredible. It's happened at City and England."
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The image on the left is Sterling's touch diagram when he played for Man City, against Newcastle. The image on the right is from the 1-3 loss to Arsenal this midweek. |
At Chelsea, Sterling has been forced to defend more. Looking at his touchline in the defeat to Arsenal on May 3, the English striker mostly operated on the left wing, playing as a "Wing-Back", meaning he was present in both defense and attack. Sterling only had 4 touches in the penalty area.
A year ago, on the day Man City crushed Newcastle, Sterling stuck to the right wing, only touching the ball twice in his own half. In the opposition penalty area, the former Liverpool star touched the ball 10 times. This shows that Sterling has to defend more at Chelsea than he did at Man City.
In the 2022/23 season, Chelsea was in chaos, lacking stability. They fired Thomas Tuchel and chose Graham Potter. Then, the board said goodbye to Potter and put their trust in Lampard. Many new players also arrived at Stamford Bridge, making the understanding between the players a luxury. Sterling lost his effectiveness because of that.
Lampard once admitted that there were "a lot of reasons and stories within the team" that happened. It was these factors that contributed to the decline of "The Blues". When the team goes down, the performance of the players is naturally affected. "Sometimes, no one understands what the plan is going to be. The full-backs will push up, overlap or the midfielders will come in to support them," Lampard said.
Sterling doesn't blame anything. He admits that he has been playing poorly recently. "I'm not anywhere near my usual level," the England striker said.
In Man City's shirt, Sterling is very familiar with the taste of victory. He also adapted to the football built by Pep Guardiola. At Chelsea, Sterling's first year was a failure. He has not shown that he is worthy of the transfer fee of 47 million pounds.
However, Sterling is only 28 and the dust is not yet settled for him. He can still recover his form if he adapts quickly to a new environment. Unfortunately, Chelsea are in a mess. They have not found a new coach. Next summer, Chelsea will have another captain. And will that strategist create a system that suits Sterling?
The autobiography “#2sides” published in 2014 tells the story of Rio Ferdinand’s life from a first-person perspective, about the waves of racism in England and the famous conflict between the former MU midfielder and John Terry.
Di Cam
Sterling decline Chelsea Manchester City FC Arsenal Manchester United FC Liverpool FC Real Madrid Premier League Raheem Sterling Newcastle Chelsea Raheem Sterling Premier League Premier League Man City
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