“Plays like he has 5 Ballon d’Or”, “Most frustrating player” – Chelsea fans want ‘disinterested’ player sold after 2-0 defeat to Brentford
Ahead of Monday's Ballon d'Or announcement, Chelsea fell to a disappointing defeat at home to Brentford in their latest Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge. The Blues' fans were disappointed with the performances of several players in the clash, but the bulk of the blame was laid at the feet of Raheem Sterling.
The experienced forward delivered a poor performance for his side as they lost 2-0 at home to fellow London side Brentford. The defeat for the Blues was a third successive one at home to Brentford, setting an unwanted record in the process.
The Blues dominated the opening exchanges before surrendering two goals, one deep in added time. Raheem Sterling was guilty of spurning a presentable opportunity to open the scoring for the Blues in the first half, firing over from inside the box.
Goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo sealed Chelsea's fate in the clash and ensured that they lost another London derby. The Blues will finish the week in the bottom half of the standings once more.
Chelsea fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the performance of 28-year-old forward Sterling, singling him out for blame.
A fan remarked that the Englishman played without any intensity or application, like someone who already had multiple Ballon d'Or wins. He was nominated for the 2021 Ballon d'Or award but failed to make the final cut, losing out to Lionel Messi.
A fan asked that the former Manchester City man be handed a place on the bench in the club's subsequent games.
Some fans advised that Chelsea get rid of the forward, who has hardly impressed consistently since joining last summer.
Some fans called out Sterling for his performance in the game, accusing him of being inconsistent and uninterested.
Sterling had a poor showing for the Blues just weeks after his impressive showing against Burnley in the Premier League.
One step forward, two steps backwards for Chelsea ahead of Ballon d'Or gala
Heading into the game against Brentford, Chelsea were on a run of four games without defeat, which included three wins and a draw against Arsenal. Last week against the Gunners, they were comfortably the better side and were unfortunate to only pick up one point.
Mauricio Pochettino's side were without Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, both of whom joined his casualty list ahead of the clash. The Blues exerted enough control to win the game, but their cutting edge was absent in their latest defeat.
With Monday's Ballon d'Or gala in sight, Pochettino has the unenviable task of galvanising his players to pick up the pieces ahead of their next match. They face Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, two days after the announcement of the 2023 Ballon d'Or winner.
Chelsea did not receive any nominations for the Ballon d'Or for their male players after their horrible season last time out. They will face league leaders Tottenham Hotspur next week looking to get back on track this season.