Mauricio Pochettino praises Raheem Sterling after Chelsea's win against Luton
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino may be about to give fans another Eden Hazard. The Blues have struggled to replace the Belgian since his move to Real Madrid in 2019, but Raheem Sterling’s electric early-season form has given supporters cause for optimism.
Sterling was broadly underwhelming in his debut Chelsea campaign. Troubled spells under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard saw the England international winger notch only six Premier League goals – his lowest total since 2012/13.
Pochettino’s appointment seems to have brought Sterling back to life. The 28-year-old scored twice and assisted another in a 3-0 win over Luton Town on Friday night.
He has looked as sharp as ever over the first three matches of the campaign, driving at defenders and bursting through tight gaps to put opponents on the back foot.
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According to The Times, Pochettino held an important one-on-one meeting with Sterling as a matter of priority when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. The Argentine asked the winger what went wrong last season so that he could manufacture the perfect role for him this term.
Sterling is believed to have told Pochettino that playing with his back to goal, as he did far too often last season, did not work in his favour. The former Manchester City man also claimed that taking up a variety of different positions made it nigh on impossible to build momentum.
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The talks between Pochettino and Sterling appear to have paid dividends, if the first three games of the season are anything to go by. Continuing on his current trajectory could see the ex-Liverpool academy prospect bring Hazard’s level of quality to Stamford Bridge.
Senior figures in west London have spent years trying and failing to recruit an agile, intelligent winger of a similar calibre. Doing so is no mean feat, and the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke could yet develop to the point of being game-changers under Pochettino.
But Sterling, now well into his prime years, has the experience and the know-how to be Chelsea’s attacking leader right now. The Jamaica-born star left Man City last year to be the main man somewhere else, after all.
Getting Sterling back to his best is a promising sign in the early days of Pochettino’s tenure, even if results are yet to wholly convince, with a win, a draw and a defeat all on record after three games at the helm.
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