Raheem Sterling is something of a controversial figure, even in discussions between Chelsea fans.
He’s done some great things, but has also put in some dreadful performances where he doesn’t look like he’s trying. As our best paid player (by some margin, on £300,000 a week according to Spotrac), it’s just not good enough. There were stories this week about owner Todd Boehly appealing to the winger in the dressing room a year ago as our season fell apart.
So it was a big gamble from Mauricio Pochettino to put Sterling in the starting line up last night, and getting a goal from him was a great reward for that risk.
After the game, Pochettino praised him mightily for his efforts:
“It’s important [to have Sterling playing well], his experience and of course an offensive player needs to score to feel confidence and he was working really hard for the team,” the manager said in his press conference.
“He defended well, he was always in the right position to help the team when needing to make the effort, being in a position to help the defensive line… such an important performance. So happy and he is helping to achieve a good point for us.”
Much like the team as a whole, Sterling can really impress when he’s in the mood and then things go his way. It’s getting him and his colleagues to deliver every single week that seems to be the problem.
