In danger of being relegated to a super sub at Chelsea

Raheem Sterling has had a terrible season since he left Manchester City and it may even get worse at Chelsea.

Some may argue that on 300,000 thousand pounds a week, there’s not a lot to complain about but Sterling at 28 will be looking to play top flight football week in, week out.

Now at the peak of his powers with at least another five years in him at the elite level and eyeing another World Cup, he will be keen to demonstrate what he is all about.

Discarded by Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, and no longer guaranteed a regular spot in the first team there, he left to ply his trade elsewhere. 

Our Today had mooted the possibility of him going to one of the top clubs in Europe and in hindsight, he may have wished he had done so.

He opted for Chelsea where he must have thought he would be a fixture, but it didn’t turn out that way. With managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter gone in his first season,  beset by injuries and often sitting on the subs bench, it has been a woeful season for the Jamaican.

He has scored just four times for Chelsea when he regular notched up double figures  for Manchester City. He is definitely out of sorts.

Sterling must now reset and focus on the next season, finding favour with the next Chelsea manager believed to be Mauricio Pochettino.

Yesterday he was booed when he came on as a sub and that is an indication of just how far he has fallen after the glory days at both Liverpool and Manchester City.

He should have packed his bags and gone to a team where he was sure to play regularly. Perhaps Spurs would have been a good bet, linking up with his England colleague Harry Kane and playing the role vacated by Christian Eriksen.

He may have calculated that he wanted to be part of a winning outfit rather than having to help build a team unaccustomed to recent glory.

Now, with so many players at Chelsea, his future as one of the first picks is not assured. Sterling is mindful that the next Euros is looming on the horizon and a number of younger players will be making their claim to be selected as part of the national squad. 

Perhaps a move back to Liverpool? He signed there in 2010 and went on to have five good seasons before leaving in a huff to join Manchester City. It would be a return home of sorts but the question is does Jurgen Klopp fancy him or is he more impressed by Nunez?

No doubt Sterling will be looking to bag big money, something similar to what he was on at Manchester City and Chelsea. That may rule out the likes of Aston Villa and Brighton.

If he remains where he is, looking to battle for his place, he may find himself inexorably sliding to a spot on the bench and seeing another ineffectual season go by.

It’s a difficult call.

Let’s be clear, Sterling is part of a Chelsea team in disarray with new owners including Todd Boehly not sure of how to chart instant success. The lad from Maverley could not have foreseen the nightmare he entered.

It is vital that he displays his evident talent next season and is not relegated to memory.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Sterling conceded he has had a terrible season and a rough time of it. 

“Personally, this is one of the lowest points of my career. This might sound a bit weird, but it is also a great learning curve.

“It’s been pretty smooth sailing winning, winning and winning but sometimes in life stuff gets thrown at you and it is a challenge that I’m looking forward to, hitting it head on and not trying to hide from it.

“It will only make me stronger and also the group stronger. These challenges, not in just football but life as well, it’s crucial to how we deal with things and how we kick on after.”