I’m surprised by how Raheem Sterling’s performance in that 3-0 Carabao Cup round of 16 win went unnoticed. Although he didn’t score or assist, Sterling delivered an impressive performance, arguably his finest to date for Arsenal.
We expect a lot from these players, and when they play well, we still judge them by goals and assists. For a moment, can we set aside the goals and assists and focus on the remarkable in-game transitions the Englishman effortlessly made versus Preston, as he moved from the midfield to the wings with such skill and excellence?
Indeed, he must keep working on capitalising on his chances, but that performance on Wednesday night demonstrated a notable impact and advancement relative to his previous outings with Arsenal.
Versus Preston, he had;
Most chances created (2)Most successful dribbles (6)Most shots on target (3)Most successful duels (7)Most touches in the opponent’s penalty area (14)Sterling continues to display a strong passion in every instance he has the ball. On Wednesday night, he showcased moments of brilliance, and I hope he can build on that to regain his form at Arsenal.
After Jorginho and Kai Havertz, who seem transformed at the Emirates stadium, he could just be another Arsenal steal from Chelsea.
Darren N
Maybe because he has stepped down a notch to play here.
I gave him a 10 for effort, but he is not the player he was. I have never been his biggest fan, but he once was frightening to defend against, now it’s more down to work rate and solid but unspectacular performances. That said, as a squad player, I am glad we have him for this season. Maybe he will reach another level as the season progresses, I hope so.
It’s really remarkable as Sterling at one point looked as if he could go on to be consistently world class. Given his innate talent he’s underperformed so far. One can only hope that he can once again find the performances that made him one of the most feared wide players in the PL.
Because it was against Preston…
Exactly!
We will talk about him when he does well against a class team in the PL or CL