John Terry warns Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling of losing his place in the England XI
Speaking to the media (h/t Football.London), Chelsea legend John Terry has warned the Blues forward Raheem Sterling of losing his place in the England XI in the upcoming World Cup games.
Ahead of the Three Lions’ opening game against IR Iran, Terry admitted that he would have started Phil Foden with Bukayo Saka alongside Harry Kane in the forward line.
Contrary to those thoughts, Gareth Southgate kept his faith in Sterling and started him. The 27-year-old repaid the faith with a goal and an assist in a 6-2 win for the team.
Here’s what Terry said regarding the former Manchester City man’s place in the England team (h/t Football.London):
“They (Grealish and Foden) want to isolate defenders. They make you go 2 v 1. Jack’s that type of player where he can commit two defenders. I would start Kane, Foden and Jack. (Raheem) Sterling’s not in form for Chelsea.”
Indeed, Sterling was not in great form for Chelsea going into the World Cup. The summer signing scored five goals and assisted two in 19 appearances in all competitions and was visibly struggling to make things work in the final third.
He was used in different positions by manager Graham Potter, including as a wing-back in some of the games. The change of manager from Tuchel to Potter in a new club would not be easy to adjust to in fairness.
That is not the case in the England setup though, where the 27-year-old has a good understanding with Southgate, having played and done well under him in the previous two tournaments.
We can hope that Sterling comes back from the World Cup in good form and do well for us in the second half of this season. His contribution the Chelsea would be necessary as we aim to make a push for a top-four finish in the league.
More Chelsea News:
- Real Madrid and Germany star Antonio Rudiger makes honest admission on Chelsea sacking Thomas Tuchel
- Chris Sutton questions the performance of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in Senegal defeat
- Christopher Nkunku is set to join Chelsea next summer with the deal nearly done
For Sterling, it must have been a relief to score and assist in the first game in Qatar. The key would be to back that up and add more numbers to his game.
