This month’s international break came at a good time for some at Chelsea, while others must be itching to get back on the football pitch.
One Blues player firmly under the microscope right now is Raheem Sterling.
The 29-year-old attacker has looked out of form for a little while now, putting in a really poor individual display in a cup win over Leicester City just before the break. In fact, Pat Nevin described Sterling as “awful” against Leicester via BBC Radio 5 Live.
Sterling’s international break hasn’t been great after yet another omission from Gareth Southgate’s England squad. Therefore, we’re guessing it’s unlikely he’ll be going to Euro 2024 with his country this summer.
Unfortunately, things may have gone from bad to worse after what happened last night.
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Raheem Sterling’s rivals hit form
Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke are Chelsea players we’re sure Sterling wishes well when they play for their respective countries. However, the reality is they’re two teammates he’s competing with at club level for a starting position in the forward line.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been able to keep a close eye on Sterling in training during this two-week interval. But if he takes a glance at international football, he’ll see two Blues wingers delivering the goods last night.
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First of all, Mudryk scored the winning goal to secure Ukraine qualification for this summer’s Euros. The 23-year-old Chelsea attacker netted a late goal from outside the box to give Ukraine a 2-1 win over Iceland in a play-off qualifier.
Speaking via Instagram, Blues defender Marc Cucurella called Mudryk a “hero” for his international goal on Tuesday night.
As for Madueke, 22, he spent yesterday starring for England Under-21s in a 7-0 victory over Luxembourg.
The right-winger scored two goals and made two assists in a stellar performance to remind his club of his ability.
Our feeling is that the general form of Chelsea’s attackers should result in both Madueke and Mudryk in the starting XI, while Sterling needs to drop down to the bench. We like the idea of a front four that includes Madueke, Mudryk, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson.
Don’t fully write off Sterling yet
Yes, we think Sterling may need a game or two on the bench. But let’s see if he can make positive substitute appearances and win back the trust of disgruntled supporters.
The fast winger’s still one of the rare experienced heads in the dressing room, someone with a knack of fighting back when his critics are out the most.
It’s not been consistent enough from him over the course of the season so far. We’d love to see him fight back in these next two months in typical Sterling fashion, though.
