The Curious Case of Raheem Sterling

[carl_feedthegoat]

I hope we boo him next we play Chelsea ,there again, the press will respond in a shock and horror manner , just like they did when we booed that other little cunt Milner and they ‘couldn’t understand why’ ,,,, when the reality was they knew EXACTLY why.

[Crossie]

I noticed somewhere he’d talked about missing his kids birthdays. I assume he’d missed them and been on the bench and not played and therefore felt hard done to, hard enough to mention it. You can’t make it up, welcome to the real world. Have you £5 million a year then cry because you don’t get to play and kiss some of your kids birthday.

Boss it’s little Billys birthday can I have the day off?
No sorry we need you fort the team
But please
No, does it say in your contract you can have your kids birthdays off?
No
So you get on the bus
Boss why am I not starting. You said you needed me
Stop being a winging little prick (t-rex impression). I would ever ply you but we didn’t replace Sergio so we have to play false 9 for 2 seasons watching you miss more than you score. You want to win a Balon d’or? Go and score 25 goals this season
But I also want my kids birthdays off and I don’t like playing away games when it’s cold
Fuck off to Chelsea

[City64]

Gets paid a fortune to miss open goals on a regular basis . Now scoring huge own goals ………


Fuck off Raheem !

[FA cup winners 2006]

I hope we are done with this prick forever. Should never be involved in anything the club do to keep former players involved. He will forgotten by everyone as soon as he retires

[john@staustell]

Gets paid a fortune to miss open goals on a regular basis . Now scoring huge own goals ………!

And offside goals of course, like just now

[branny]

So far v Leeds he's cut in from the left and shot wide from pretty much on the penalty spot and waltzed in from 30 yards and finished bottom right.......... then the flag went up. Sound familiar?

[branny]

Certainly having an impact now. Just got a petulant yellow card and Leeds have scored their second from the resulting free kick.

[zuricity]

Strange that , Normally names like Mendy and Sterling give City bad press. Today the Chavs are getting it.

[carolina-blue]

How Raging are you now Milner sorry Sterling

[Mase]

We were raging as well Raz.

[CBEM]

Most City fans I know cut Raz so much slack even though it was obvious his heart wasn't in it and he had no connection with the club or fans, he's just a selfish whining arsehole we are well rid of.

[john68]

RAHEEN STERLING....Has he gone?
Chelsea player now?
Who is he again?......Sterling?.....Didn't we have a player of that name once?

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Even though he’s gone and had a bit of a moan I still think the over reactions in here are comical. You’ve mostly been skating him for the last 3 years and he gives one twenty second soundbite and that proves everyone right?

He had his faults, was inconsistent at best in front of goal and had rightly dropped down the pecking order, making a move the right decision.

Having said all that he contributed greatly to what one day may be remembered as our greatest ever years. Centurions, champions on repeat and cups as well. I’ll never wish I’ll on him.

Funny that Sane who walked in his prime doesn’t get as much shit as the one who stayed and scored another 100 goals.

[Mase]

Even though he’s gone and had a bit of a moan I still think the over reactions in here are comical. You’ve mostly been skating him for the last 3 years and he gives one twenty second soundbite and that proves everyone right?

He had his faults, was inconsistent at best in front of goal and had rightly dropped down the pecking order, making a move the right decision.

Having said all that he contributed greatly to what one day may be remembered as our greatest ever years. Centurions, champions on repeat and cups as well. I’ll never wish I’ll on him.

Funny that Sane who walked in his prime doesn’t get as much shit as the one who stayed and scored another 100 goals.

There’s a few that have said they defended him that are now pissed off with him - rather than the ones you’ve mentioned that slated him for 3 years.

Sanè didn’t miss sitters and then moan about “hardly playing” - which is a massive lie as well because Sterling played more games in the league last season than Foden.

[stupot]

Sane got loads of shit when he was here especially the 18/19 season when we were all shitting it the last 14 games. There were loads of arguments on here about his attitude.

He's not had as much since as he's only said good things about us since and he's not playing here.

[patrickblue]

Sane got loads of shit when he was here especially the 18/19 season when we were all shitting it the last 14 games. There were loads of arguments on here about his attitude.

He's not had as much since as he's only said good things about us since and he's not playing here.

Indeed he has.
The attitude from some on here towards Sterling has been ridiculous. In the early days he was idolised to the extent people were accused of being disloyal if they didn't join the wankfest. I was accused of being disloyal by having the temerity to praise Sane in the Sterling adulation thread.
Then it all turned round and became 100% vilification.
As already mentioned, pure comedy.

[johnny crossan]

Most City fans I know cut Raz so much slack even though it was obvious his heart wasn't in it and he had no connection with the club or fans, he's just a selfish whining arsehole we are well rid of.

Two goals today winning the game for the Chavs, Raz was integral to all our success for the seven years he was with us & that final sad comment says much about you and nothing about him.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Even though he’s gone and had a bit of a moan I still think the over reactions in here are comical. You’ve mostly been skating him for the last 3 years and he gives one twenty second soundbite and that proves everyone right?

He had his faults, was inconsistent at best in front of goal and had rightly dropped down the pecking order, making a move the right decision.

Having said all that he contributed greatly to what one day may be remembered as our greatest ever years. Centurions, champions on repeat and cups as well. I’ll never wish I’ll on him.

Funny that Sane who walked in his prime doesn’t get as much shit as the one who stayed and scored another 100 goals.

There’s a few that have said they defended him that are now pissed off with him - rather than the ones you’ve mentioned that slated him for 3 years.

Sanè didn’t miss sitters and then moan about “hardly playing” - which is a massive lie as well because Sterling played more games in the league last season than Foden.

I’m being honest here, I just don’t see what he said that was worthy of uproar.

Was he a bit stupid to say anything negative? Definitely. Did I click the video expecting far worse based off reactions? Yep. We can’t be sensitive if we’re calling him all sorts for years, and I’m one of the ones who defended him and watched that and wasn’t bothered. We’re a strange bunch sometimes.

[Mase]

Even though he’s gone and had a bit of a moan I still think the over reactions in here are comical. You’ve mostly been skating him for the last 3 years and he gives one twenty second soundbite and that proves everyone right?

He had his faults, was inconsistent at best in front of goal and had rightly dropped down the pecking order, making a move the right decision.

Having said all that he contributed greatly to what one day may be remembered as our greatest ever years. Centurions, champions on repeat and cups as well. I’ll never wish I’ll on him.

Funny that Sane who walked in his prime doesn’t get as much shit as the one who stayed and scored another 100 goals.

There’s a few that have said they defended him that are now pissed off with him - rather than the ones you’ve mentioned that slated him for 3 years.

Sanè didn’t miss sitters and then moan about “hardly playing” - which is a massive lie as well because Sterling played more games in the league last season than Foden.

I’m being honest here, I just don’t see what he said that was worthy of uproar.

Was he a bit stupid to say anything negative? Definitely. Did I click the video expecting far worse based off reactions? Yep. We can’t be sensitive if we’re calling him all sorts for years, and I’m one of the ones who defended him and watched that and wasn’t bothered. We’re a strange bunch sometimes.

I think the uproar was because, after missing open goal after open goal and sitter after sitter in important matches, he then dares to have a go at Pep for not playing him as much.

[johnny crossan]

Sterling as a striker: ‘Stepping up’ at Chelsea and what quality of his shots tells us

Sterling scores twice for Chelsea against Leicester
By Mark Carey


It had been coming for Raheem Sterling.

Chelsea’s No 17 is finally off the mark in a Chelsea shirt as his two goals were the difference in his side’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City.

Prior to Saturday, Sterling had largely performed well in his first three games, linking well with Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, and driving into dangerous areas in his typical, hurried manner.

Sterling arguably should have opened his goalscoring account sooner, with high quality chances in each of his previous Premier League encounters. A cold-blooded, clinical finisher he isn’t, but you can be sure that he will continue to arrive in the right areas to finish.

“We need him to score, that’s what he does, and he will score (more), but I could feel he was not happy — he wants to score more, he wants to have more chances,” head coach Thomas Tuchel said after the game. “We played in a more aggressive shape in the first half for 25 minutes and then suddenly we’re one man down. We needed to step up, and he did.”

Tuchel prefers not to have a fixed No 9 in his front line, with the fluidity of Chelsea’s attack deemed to be a more important characteristic of his side. The early signs of the positional interchange between Sterling, Havertz and Mount has made them difficult for opponents to track, and the trio have also worked well out of possession to press the opposition as a unit.

However, as Chelsea began with a more combative 4-4-2 formation in the first half against Leicester, the narrative of the early season returned — good build-up, creating good opportunities, but failing to convert.

Of course, any form of reliable analysis is confounded in any game that contains such an early red card. Conor Gallagher started brightly with plenty of bite in Chelsea’s midfield, but the academy graduate’s dismissal on 28 minutes meant Chelsea’s attacking plan was significantly altered with two-thirds of the game to play.

Gallagher’s red follows team-mate Kalidou Koulibaly’s dismissal against Leeds United and Tuchel’s touchline antics against Tottenham Hotspur as three counts of ill-discipline in three games. It is likely to be a quirk of the early season, but is not a good look for Chelsea.

It is the first time Chelsea have had a player sent off in consecutive Premier League games since October 2014 under Jose Mourinho. They will not want to extend that run.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Sterling did step up for his new side less than two minutes after the break, as his shot from outside the box deflected off Daniel Amartey to loop into the top corner. The irony is not lost that his first goal was scored from his lowest-quality chance so far this season, but the 27-year-old will hardly be losing sleep over it.

If his first goal was a bit fortunate, his second was taken straight from the “Raheem Sterling highlights reel”.

A brilliantly worked sequence from Chelsea saw Reece James in his favoured advanced area to cross for Sterling who ghosted in at the back post to pass into an empty net in typical fashion.



Sterling honed his off-ball running under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City to become one of the best players in the league in making those back-post darts to finish such high quality chances.

You can see his shooting locations have gotten closer to goal across his most recent season in the Premier League — if he knows the ball will arrive, he will continue to make those runs for Chelsea.



His manager certainly trusts his new signing to deliver more frequently across the season and is convinced the England forward will deliver if his side keeps creating chances for him.

If Sterling can repeat those actions consistently this season, then the clamour for another striker may quickly dissipate. However, it is no secret that Chelsea remain in the market for a tactically versatile, clinical finisher.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s name has been on the lips of many, and is a player who would fit the profile of a dynamic forward, able to play centrally or in wider areas.

Aubameyang is historically a far more clinical striker than the current options that Chelsea have, but it would be stating the obvious to say that the 33-year-old would not be at the peak of his powers.

While he enjoyed his most prolific season under Tuchel with a 31-goal haul in the Bundesliga in 2016-17, a move to Chelsea would represent a short-term fix at the very most — and transfer deadline day is looming.

Sterling took the headlines on Saturday afternoon, but in truth the narrative could have been very different. Chelsea hung on to win, but Leicester’s late flurry of big chances could have easily seen them walk away from Stamford Bridge with at least one point.

While Chelsea were down to ten men for a long period, failing to put the game to bed in the early stages had been a recurring issue in the early part of the season that nearly came back to bite them once again.

Having a clinical finisher would go a long way to ensuring that this acute pattern does not become chronic. Whether it will be Sterling, Havertz, or an incoming attacking option to pick up that goalscoring slack, Chelsea do still have scope to sharpen up at the top end of the field.

(Photo: Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)