Once did not meet the expectations of the fans, but at this time, Raheem Sterling is showing himself as the number one hope in the Chelsea attack. At the age of 29, it is also time for the English player to become a real leader.

In the summer of 2022, Sterling became Chelsea’s first signing under new owner Todd Boehly for £47.5 million. In his first season at Stamford Bridge, the 1994-born striker left the True Blues disappointed with only 9 goals, 4 assists after 38 appearances.

On average, Sterling must have played more than 4 matches to score 1 goal. This is an unacceptable number for a player who has had 10 years of playing in the Premier League like Chelsea’s new number 17. Besides, £47.5 million is not a cheap one.

Even, according to Football Insider, there was a time when the London club wanted to liquidate Sterling. The Blues leadership is said to have felt wrong when recruiting him from Manchester City. But that’s just a story of the past. At the moment, Sterling is the number one hope in Chelsea’s attack.

Sterling shines again after a forgettable season at Chelsea

In this season’s season, the Jamaican-born striker began to draw much attention to him from the match … lost 1-3 to West Ham United in the second round of the Premier League. Sterling constantly impresses with his quality of speed and daring breakthroughs.

In the match on August 20, the former Liverpool player successfully completed 6/7 crosses and was fouled 5 times, including once bringing a penalty for Chelsea in the 43rd minute, but Enzo Fernandez could not. defeat Alphonse Areola.

After the match ended, even West Ham’s rival Michail Antonio had to praise Sterling. “This is the best Raheem game I have ever seen. I have never seen a player with the ball in his foot and still run as fast as him. That is crazy! Raheem doesn’t deserve this defeat!” Antonio told the BBC.

“Raheem was Chelsea’s brightest star in today’s game. This is his best performance after Euro 2020 is over,” former MU, Tottenham striker Garth Crooks praised Sterling when commenting on the BBC.

Of course, what the True Blues expect most from the star wearing the number 7 shirt are still goals and they only have to wait one more round to see Sterling “open an account”.

In the last match, the former Man City star scored a brace against Luton Town, helping Chelsea win gently with a score of 3-0. Immediately, Sterling temporarily became the player with the most goals in the Blues squad in the 2023/24 Premier League with 2 goals.

The season has only just begun, but the English winger has really returned to the status of a star. Rookie Nicolas Jackson has “opened the barrel” with a goal against Luton, but at this time, Sterling is the factor that receives the most expectations of the True Blues in Chelsea’s attack.

The fans of the Stamford Bridge home team breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the 29-year-old succeeding in improving his form at the time the 2023/24 season had just started.

Important factors to help Sterling find himself

The fact that the Jamaican winger played badly last season was not entirely Sterling’s fault. Because last season was a very chaotic season for the whole Chelsea team, not just any individual.

The proof is that if both temporary and interim coaches are included, the Blues players have worked with … 4 coaches in the 2022/23 season, including: Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard.

A season lasts about 10 months and if calculated on average, about every 3 months, the Chelsea leadership changes the general once. The instability in the position of captain makes it difficult for the players of the London club to adapt to the new tactics and Sterling is no exception.

“Personally, I was a bit disappointed last season. I feel like I always have to play with my back to the goal. I had a chat with the new manager (Mauricio Pochettino) early last week and I know exactly what he needs from me. We had a very open conversation. I really want to thank Pochettino,” Sterling shared about the reason for his unconvincing performance in the 2022/23 season.

Another expert, Gary Neville, has a similar view. “Raheem is at his best in one-on-one situations with defenders or when he gets into the box and hurts opponents. That’s how Pep Guardiola changed his game. I never thought Raheem could play best in an attacking position or with his back to goal. He’s not Phil Foden!”, the former MU defender said.

As for head coach Pochettino, when asked by reporters about Sterling’s positive change, he said: “Raheem has been free to play. We know what he can do. Raheem has the capacity to play in many positions.”

A lot can be drawn from the three statements above. First, the four Chelsea managers last season failed to figure out how to use Sterling. They could not help No. 17 reveal all his qualities when constantly asking him to play with his back to the opponent’s goal.

It also means that Pochettino is the first manager at Stamford Bridge to know how to use Sterling. Going to this season, or to be more precise, in the first 3 matches of The Blues in the Premier League 2023/24, the Argentinian military leader only ranked the student born in 1994 to kick exactly one position, that is. is a right-skewed household.

Pochettino allowed Sterling to operate freely, allowed to make dangerous breakthroughs and change direction on the ball. As a result, No. 7 performed in a much better and more desirable form.

The 51-year-old strategist is the person who understands Sterling best among the managers who have worked with the Jamaican-born player at Chelsea. Pochettino knows what he needs to do to promote the advantages of Sterling’s playing style.

Before that, it was doubtful whether the former PSG coach could help the 1994-born star regain his form. Because in 5 friendlies in the pre-season, Sterling only had 1 assist in the match against Wrexham – a club playing in the 4th division of England.

But those five matches were just the time for the 29-year-old to get used to the new style of play that Pochettino applied to Chelsea and also a time when he tried to figure out the best way to use Sterling.

Up to now, the True Blues can be completely assured that the English star is feeling very comfortable playing under the direction of Pochettino.