(Football news) Before the age of 30, Sterling is one of a select group of players who have more than 200 goal contributions in the Premier League (121 goals, 86 assists) and he is an 82-cap veteran for England. Whether he will ever reach 83 remains to be seen.
In the aftermath of a mixed afternoon for Sterling as Chelsea came through one of several FA Cup thrillers over the course of the weekend, Mauricio Pochettino launched a staunch defence of a player who had missed a penalty, squandered a one-on-one and sent a free kick into orbit that may or may not have made contact with Robert Huth’s infamous effort from 2016 on the way down. According to Pochettino, Sterling ‘needs the support’ of the Chelsea fans, describing his untimely efforts as “a little bit unlucky”.
Pochettino’s remarks about Sterling became something of a side show as he began to defend his own choices made during the game, such as choosing to replace an obviously struggling Sterling with the dynamic Mykhaylo Mudryk, a move that only served to heighten tensions within Stamford Bridge. Who knows, maybe Pochettino made a planned move with it.
But no matter how much the younger generation regards Sterling as a leader and mentor in the locker room, Pochettino must eventually concede that a tough talk needs to be addressed. This support was demonstrated by Noni Madueke following a bad reaction to Sterling’s Sunday night social media post.
Sterling took it upon himself to apologise for missing a penalty that would have put Chelsea 2-0 ahead in the contest with Leicester City. While not in the exact words, it was your standard ‘sorry I didn’t make the right decision, we go again’ rhetoric that it supposed to satisfy an audience. People should have stopped investing in that after the Victor Anichebe incident.
That is not to say that Sterling is not genuine in his desire to do better. This is a player who took a risk in moving to Chelsea. This is a man whose legacy in the English game will mean something to him, someone who knows that he is reaching the stage of his career where he is fighting for longevity and to stop modern-day football passing him by. Yet his apology left a sour taste. Sterling was saying sorry for the wrong thing, and that remains long overdue.
Not for the first time this season, he showed the kind of immaturity that should not be associated with a player of his standing. Cole Palmer – who boasts a 100% record from the penalty spot this season – was preparing to take responsibility, only to have Sterling in his ear that he wanted to take it.
Observedly, there are multiple parties to blame in this instance. It was fitting that Palmer would have responded “cold”ly to Sterling’s advances. Enzo Fernandez demonstrated good leadership qualities against Arsenal earlier in the season, and Conor Gallagher should have been able to block Sterling’s request in the same way.
Moreover, ought Pochettino to be taking additional measures to guarantee that Palmer holds onto the ball? The Argentine is prepared to defend his choice when Chelsea fans express their disapproval of one of his decisions. He is erratic in his distribution of penalty assignments, claiming that the players make this decision. Adopt accountability.
Also read: FA Cup draw for the upcoming round
