“Good end product at times” – Micah Richards admits Chelsea star has impressed him this season
Pundit Micah Richards has heaped praise on Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling despite the Blues' defeat to West Ham United on Sunday, August 20. He claimed that the winger had rolled back a couple of years and had got back to his best.
Sterling had a poor first season (2022-23) at Chelsea since arriving from Manchester City, registering nine goals and four assists in 38 games across competitions. He also did not do well in pre-season this summer.
Fans were calling for the club to sell the Englishman, but has been a bright spark in the two Premier League matches so far.
Speaking on the The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards claimed that Sterling was the star in the game despite West Ham United getting a 3-1 win. He added that the winger was creating chances, but had no one to put them away. The former Manchester City star said:
"A star for me was Sterling. Sterling was excellent. This was Sterling from two years ago. A lot of people said he can't play on the right; a lot of his good work came down that right, jinking and jiving. Good end product at times. If only someone was there to put it away."
Sterling has played 40 games for Chelsea and has scored nine goals while assisting four times.
Raheem Sterling reveals why he has struggled at Chelsea
The English winger was the first name on Thomas Tuchel's list in the summer of 2022 when the new Chelsea owners asked him to list the players he wanted. The German manager could not work with the winger for long as he was sacked after just seven matches together.
Speaking to the media earlier this summer ahead of the new season, Sterling admitted that the constant change in managers and tactics affected him. He said:
"It was a difficult transition period last year. I was raring to go from the off season, looking to get back to the levels I know I can get to, it is as simple as that. It's about being aggressive. A lot of the time it's back to goal so it was nice to get on the half turn."
He added:
"I'm a player that needs to be driving, action after action. If I'm not doing that I'm nowhere near my best, so that's what I need to keep doing every time I get the ball. I have to turn, drive and be aggressive. That's what I plan on doing."
Sterling has started both matches for Chelsea this season in the Premier League and will be hoping to retain his place with Noni Madueke back to full fitness.