Not Enzo Fernandez or any other name, Raheem Sterling is now the number 1 and most watched star of Chelsea. The former Man City striker had a spectacular makeover in the new season, and no small credit belongs to coach Mauricio Pochettino.
What is left of us after the first 3 rounds of Chelsea in the Premier League 2023/24? Perhaps none other than Sterling’s performance. Not because this star scored a brace against Luton , but in fact he has been outstanding since the beginning of the season, especially from the match against West Ham in the second round – where Chelsea finished with a score of 1-3 at London Stadium.
It was a game in which Chelsea disappointed, despite completely overwhelming West Ham in possession. However, Sterling still became a bright spot with “conflict displays” that made The Hammers’ defense blush. He created a lot of delicious opportunities, but unfortunately his teammates did not take advantage of them.
Sterling’s unexpected outburst made the fans even more attentive because last season, he was one of Chelsea’s worst players. Arriving at Stamford Bridge from Man City in the summer of 2022 with a lot of expectations, Sterling gradually sank. After 38 appearances in all competitions, the 28-year-old has only scored 9 goals and 4 assists. Witnessing Sterling’s pretense, Chelsea fans couldn’t help but be bored. Most believe that the home team has received a “trick” of Man City.
However, after only 3 rounds in the Premier League this season, Chelsea fans must have looked at Sterling with different eyes. It all comes from the radical change of new coach Pochettino, when he understands Sterling’s strengths, thereby creating conditions for the England player to maximize his capacity. Last season, under different managers at Chelsea, Sterling was practically spinning. He never had a stable position to dedicate himself to. In the match, Sterling was arranged to play on the right wing, in the game on the left wing, in the match he took the role of a striker, in the match he played for the attack. Just like that, Sterling stuck in the very thing called versatility.
Under Pochettino, all that changed for Sterling. In the 3-4-2-1 formation, the Argentinian strategist arranged Sterling to kick the right midfielder. In the first two matches, Sterling was side by side with young talent Carney Chukwuemeka, and before Luton, his partner was Enzo Fernandez. Sterling was entrusted by Pochettino to carry the entire right corridor, and he successfully completed the task with the ability to create extremely high mutations thanks to slick dribbling skills. Sterling did not hesitate to rush straight into the opponent’s box before having favorable passes for his teammates.
Sterling’s opening goal against Luton was a typical ball, when the former Man City star played alone through 3 visitors and then hit a dangerous finish in the penalty area. It is a Sterling that fans have seen in the blue Man shirt, a player who possesses great dribbling skills, making the opponent’s defense unable to keep up.
Sterling’s second goal showed his instinct to score goals with a situation of moving without the ball, choosing a smart position and then making a precise one-touch footwork. Nicolas Jackson’s 3-0 winning goal also came from Sterling’s own feet, with an effort to get down and stretch into discomfort. It can be said that Sterling is the big difference of Chelsea, and coach Pochettino has found the most suitable fixed position for his student wearing the number 7 shirt.
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Numbers don’t lie. In addition to 2 goals, Sterling has 58 touches of the ball against Luton, including 13 in the opponent’s penalty area, the most Chelsea. He also had 5 shots with 3 on target, 2 successful passes and 2 chances created. Obviously, Sterling is the number 1 star of Chelsea at the moment.