“Pure joy to watch”, “what a baller” – Chelsea fans urge Tuchel to build team around ‘intelligent’ 27-year-old star after win over Everton
Chelsea fans have taken to social media to praise new signing Raheem Sterling's performance against Everton and urged Thomas Tuchel to make him a focal point in attack. Jorginho's penalty earned the win for the Blues in their opening 2022-23 Premier League match on August 6.
However, the player who has garnered a lot of praise from the Stamford Bridge faithful for his impressive performance was new signing Sterling.
The former Manchester City attacker was vibrant for the Blues in the final third. He actively took on defenders and sought out quality passes into the final third.
The Englishman had three successful dribbles out of his five attempts and made two key passes.
Chelsea fans went on Twitter to express their admiration for Sterling, who joined them from City for £47.5 million this summer. Few fans also urged Thomas Tuchel to build the team around the England international.
Here is a selection of their tweets:
Sterling's impressive Premier League debut for the Blues did not end in a goal contribution for the England attacker. However, Chelsea fans will have good reason to be impressed by the energy he provides for the team on a consistent basis.
The 27-year-old enjoyed a successful stint at Manchester City, where he won every domestic competition in England. He registered 131 goals and 94 assists in 337 matches for the Cityzens.
The Blues will be hoping he can replicate those feats.
Chelsea beat Everton at Goodison Park for the first time since 2017
The game was dampened by a few incidents, with a number of players dealing with likely injuries, including Ben Godfrey, who was stretchered off. There was also a medical emergency in the stands, which saw the game pause for approximately four minutes.
However, right on the cusp of half-time, a poor tackle by Abdoulaye Doucoure on Ben Chilwell in the box handed the Blues a penalty. An unfazed Jorginho converted it, sending the keeper the wrong way and adding to his tally of 24 penalties scored out of 28 overall.
Much of the second half saw Everton struggle to find chances, thanks to the rock-solid defense provided by the Blues. A number of remarkable opportunities were broken down by Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva, both of whom impressed throughout much of the game.
Chelsea beat Everton 3-0 in April 2017 at Goodison Park. After that they have registered scores of 2-0, 3-1, 1-0, all in favor of the Toffees, ending with a 1-1 draw last year. They have finally beaten Everton at Goodison Park.
Chelsea will hope they can gain momentum with the win and impress as the Premier League continues in thrilling fashion.