“It seems ridiculous to say but…” – Former Chelsea man says scapegoated player can’t strike a ball
Raheem Sterling is such a strangely controversial player, and fans of all of his teams are never quite able to work out if he’s any good.
He’s got loads of Premier League goals and assists, he’s won tons of trophies and has a bag full of England caps.
Yet he regularly has moments which leave you flabbergasted – sometimes in the same games in which he does something great.
Speaking as a pundit on TalkSport, former Blue Scott Minto put it quite well:
“Raheem Sterling missed a one-on-one [versus Leicester City]; he missed a penalty where he shouldn’t really have taken it in the first place. It should’ve been given to Cole Palmer.
“Remember that penalty he scored against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge and he handled all the pressure against his former team, in the last minute with everyone watching and he was able to handle it?
“And Raheem Sterling, as good a player as he is and it seems ridiculous to say, because I’d hate to have marked him, but he’s never really struck the ball really well as a professional footballer. So I wouldn’t have him on free-kicks or penalties.”
Sterling’s future at Chelsea is very uncertain now, as his frustrating performances have started to become something of a lightning rod for criticism of the ownership and the whole season’s inconsistencies. That’s not fair on Sterling, but what is fair is Minto’s take that he sometimes looks like he’s never kicked a football before.
