“Play him in his position and let him do what he needs to do” – William Gallas names ideal position for Raheem Sterling to play in at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Graham Potter can help Raheem Sterling continue his superb record against Arsenal this weekend by tweaking his side.

That is according to former Blues and Gunners defender William Gallas, who has urged Potter to change formation ahead of the two sides clash on Sunday, 5 November.

Sterling, 27, has been used as a wingback and central striker during Potter's reign.

He has made 17 appearances across competitions this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists.

The English attacker boasts an impressive record against the Gunners, scoring eight times in 17 league meetings.

He has ended up on the winning side on 11 occasions for former sides Manchester City and Liverpool.

Gallas has advised Potter to revert to a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 formation to get the best out of Sterling.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender told Genting Casino:

“If Graham Potter wants to get the best from Raheem Sterling, he has to play on the right or left of a three, that’s how Sterling was being used at a high level before at Liverpool and Manchester City."

Gallas struggles to understand why Potter is playing Sterling out of position, given his goalscoring record:

“He’s always played there. So for me it is difficult to understand why, sometimes, a manager wants to play players out of position."

Sterling scored midweek in a 2-1 win over Dynamo Zagreb on 2 November in the Champions League when he played in attack alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Gallas continued to question Potter using him as a wing-back and alluded to his performance against Zagreb:

"After the Zagreb win, I think Potter has to play Sterling in a front three and not how he used him in the last match when he was playing wing-back. It was very difficult for Sterling to play there. Play him in his position and let him do what he needs to do.”

Back to scoring and winning ways 🫡🙏🏾 https://t.co/CSAIqclVuJ

Chelsea's Raheem Sterling is tipped to start for England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Chelsea have three fixtures remaining ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Debates are being made over whether Sterling will not only start for the Three Lions but whether he should be part of Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes the Blues attacker should be starting for Southgate's side.

He told BT Sport (via Daily Mail):

"Sterling starts at the World Cup forget going, he starts. Simple as that for me."

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole echoed those sentiments, adding:

"When you go through facts, he's Chelsea's top scorer, the last seven years of what he has done in his career for England and Manchester City, he's got so much in the bank for the people who know the game."

Final Bound ... Come on England!!! ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #BoyFromBrent https://t.co/KazVtyf2xh

Sterling has earned 79 international caps for the Three Lions, scoring 19 goals.

He was instrumental in the side's journey to the final of the European Championships in 2021.

The Blues attacker managed three goals and an assist during the tournament