Raheem Sterling delivered another poor performance for Arsenal as they secured a victory over Leicester City in the Premier League yesterday.
The Englishman has struggled since his move to the Emirates at the start of this season. He has not been given much game time, but with Arsenal now lacking numbers in attack and without a recognised striker, he has found himself playing more regularly.
As the most experienced player in the role, fans expected him to step up and prove he is still capable at the highest level. Upon his arrival at the club, he vowed to silence his doubters, yet his performances have fallen well short of expectations.
Sterling was particularly ineffective in the win against Leicester, with Arsenal only managing to score after he had been substituted. His display frustrated many supporters, some of whom do not want to see him in the team again. However, given Arsenal’s limited attacking options, he remains an important part of the squad.
The former Manchester City and Chelsea winger has been a shadow of the player who once terrorised defences in the Premier League. His dribbling, pace, and finishing ability seem to have declined significantly, making him a weak link in Arsenal’s frontline. At this stage of his career, it is clear that he is struggling to adapt to the demands of Mikel Arteta’s system.
Despite his poor form, Sterling remains defiant. Following the match, he posted an image of himself on his Instagram story with the caption: “On to the next one.” His message suggests that he is determined to push forward and improve, but his performances on the pitch have given little reason for optimism.
Very few Arsenal fans were convinced when Arteta decided to bring him to the club. Many questioned whether he still had what it takes to perform at the highest level, and his displays so far have done little to change that perception.
Sterling’s struggles have been compounded by Arsenal’s lack of attacking depth. Injuries and departures have left the squad light up front, meaning Arteta has little choice but to continue relying on the underperforming forward. Whether he can rediscover his form remains to be seen, but right now, his presence in the team is doing little to inspire confidence.
ADMIN COMMENT
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Raheem Sterling is finished. He should stop playing football and try something else. He’s earning big money that has derailed and spoiled him and he doesn’t care about getting himself up anymore.
Chelsea should sit him down and have a mutual agreement with him to cancel his contract. he’s very dishonest with himself.
Sterlings time seems over,let’s learn from him and manage our young stars carefully to avoid such scenerios and like whilshers too.
He has played 28k + minutes since 18 years old non wonder his body is shot, Salah on the other hand has played 23k which equates to 55, 90 minute games difference
He’s finished that’s all no more words .
The Sterling we use to know was a very potent threat any day and any time. Hopefully he regains his confidence sooner than later and help his move forward. But for now, we may just have to be patient
Honestly we cannot keep giving him minutes. The performance yesterday compounded the fact he can no longer beat a player and is no longer the player he was. Fact is he can’t perform at the level required anymore.
@Nik
Fact is, he can perform at the level required. But, in order to do so, he needs the mins on the field. Dave made the point Sterling has played 28k mins since he was 18 yrs old. Time playing hasn’t just affected his body, but has also instilled in him a vast amount of experience which can be utilised. Don’t count him out just yet.
I’m with you here. Maybe he is past it, but it’s clear to me he’s suffering from some confidence issues atm – I think he deserves a bit more time, given his history and considering he is putting in the effort.
His time is over for now, he can can try some other small club to get himself back
I get the feeling over the years that when footballers start concerning themselves with their hairdos and such, they stop being as good on the field.
When I saw that silly barnet Sterling wears these days it just made me cringe a bit inside – a feeling along the lines of: “Oh. He’s not gonna play so well. Too much interest in hairdressing”.
I suspect he’s not the player he was when Arteta worked with him at City, largely because he’s not the same man.
This is bad theory. It’s no less maintenance than hair like Rice who is always gelled up and seems to get a trim every week. The more simple explanation is we have a player that has always relied on speed and technique and he’s older now and has lost both those aspects of his game. Add to that having several years of close to zero confidence.
A feeling, not a theory. As I said.
@Neutral
Seems a bit hilarious and yet pathetic at the same time, that a grown man is affected so by another man’s hairdo. 😂🤨
I tend to ignore your posts. They’re always a combination of silly, insulting, illogical.
“Affected” is kinda all 3.
It was an observation, that’s all. That should be obvious, even to you – but no – someone says something negative about one of your little favourite players and off you go, ranting and raving, casting silly aspersions around.
I don’t think you can accuse him of not trying and not being focused – he was clearly doing what he could to make something happen, which is tough when the things he’s trying just aren’t coming off. You can say he’s past it or not good enough anymore, but at least acknowledge he’s still behaving as a professional.
Professionalism isn’t just about what he does – or tries to do – on the pitch. It’s also about what he does elsewhere to get himself ready to play.
Apart from the hair, there are other factors – he’s carrying more weight which will slow him down.
I compare him to someone like Ronaldo who trained his head off as he got older to stay at his peak as long as possible. Sterling does not compare well.
Id rather see the Manager blooding a new player than persisting with Sterling. To be fair ,Sterling has beengiven the opportunities and he has squandered them . Even his defensive quality was non evident against Leicester….
Does the manager select players without working with them during training? Sterling ought not to have been in the lineup yesterday. And he was on the pitch for too long.
The manager is to blame. He is the only player making no effort on the pitch. Some pundits gave him 4. I thought he should have 2 or even 0
I thought he made a great deal of effort. Effort wasn’t the problem for me, it was his inability to affect the game in a positive way.
You can bet your last dollar, Sterling will start again this time against West Ham.
He’s currently training with arsenal’s available 1st team so he must be a threat of some kind, right?
Clearly AFC squad’s forward threat is thread bare – so even if Sterling’s threat is ‘perceived or it’s real’ it may still be enough for opposition defenders to make mistakes that our strikers can capitalize on I hope. For now he’s one of very few options we got.
@waal2waal
RealTalk…👍🏾
If I had powers or a say in the team, I would suggest that he is bared from training. His body language shows that he can even start causing injuries to some of the few remaining good players.
At the moment we only have the league and champiosiLeague. We can’t afford such substandard performances. We would rather use Carlifiorry or even Tieney as strikers instead.
Spent flush.
Sterling CAN ONLY PLAY AS A NO 9 Arteta must accept that all Sterling can do is literally wait on the edge of the box. For his opportunities Not run around in numerous positions like Arteta likes his players to do Sterlng has no pace nolonger the ability to beat a man
Arteta loves clinging to underperforming players and enjoys experimenting with Arsenal…..Harvetz and Sterling are the favorites of his laboratory specimens!
For me, a completely unnecessary signing. Past his best, and it smacked of desperation to me for Arteta to even sign him. 🤦♂️