Chelsea have brought the average age of their squad down significantly over the last few transfer windows.
There are now just a few players who have real experience you would say, and that includes 29-year-old Raheem Sterling.
Being one of the more senior names in Mauricio Pochettino‘s squad, former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot thinks Sterling should now be one of the leaders in the team but has questioned if he actually has it in him. Melchiot was discussing the Blues on The Football News Show.
The winger was dropped for Chelsea’s 3-1 win against Aston Villa in the FA Cup last night but has been a key player for Pochettino for the majority of the season.
In total, Sterling has made 29 appearances and scored seven goals.
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Mario Melchiot calls out Raheem Sterling
Melchiot thinks Sterling needs to be leading this Chelsea team given his age but has doubts about his ability to do so.
On the England international, he said: “I will point a finger at Sterling for example, 29 years old, that means that you’re in the category of carrying the team when they’re in difficulties. Is he a player like that? I’m not so sure about it.
“When you look at Chelsea now, when you asked me about seeing the leaders, I think everybody on the field in any football team is a leader, because not only leaders have an armband.”
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Raheem Sterling needs to step up
Pochettino should be asking for more from Sterling right now. After Thiago Silva and Marcus Bettinelli, he is the oldest player in the Chelsea squad.
Sterling is also the most proven forward after scoring so many goals during his time at Manchester City.
Ultimately, then, the team should be able to look to him for match-winning contributions and leadership.
The Blues paid their Premier League rivals £50m (BBC Sport) for his signature, a price tag he probably has not quite lived up to yet. After starting the season quite strongly, Sterling has not scored a goal in the top flight since November.
