S Poddar
Raheem Sterling has had an unfortunate opening act with Chelsea in the new Premier League season. The England international was missing from the team sheet for Chelsea’s opener against Manchester City, and his situation was further confused by a statement coming from his representatives.
It showed surprise at Sterling being left out and called for “clarity on the situation.” Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp were among the pundits who criticized the move, calling it potentially undermining team spirit and putting heaps of pressure on the manager.
“We all have been dropped, haven’t we?” Richards said. “We all haven’t wanted to put statements out. Raheem and his team know exactly what they’re doing. They’re trying to make noise.”
Not holding back on his sentiments, Redknapp concurred with the view that Sterling should focus on his performance rather than making public pronouncements. “He must have initiated it,” Redknapp said. “He’s said he’s come back two weeks early – no need to talk about it, just get on with it, play better.”
While Sterling himself made no comment on the issue, his representatives acted to the contrary and caused a ripple effect. Although a player of his class like Sterling would have been shocked by the exclusion, it did give the feeling that they are trying to push on manager Enzo Maresca.
However, Maresca remained unfazed. He explained away the absence of Sterling as a “tactical decision” and shrugged off the statement, saying he only focuses on the game. Chelsea would ultimately lose the match to Manchester City 2-0.
This entire scenario puts a question mark over Sterling’s existence at Chelsea. There were those who had hoped to see a more revitalized Sterling under the new manager, following up on his mixed first season at Stamford Bridge, but now, with his omission from the starting lineup, the drama indeed hangs in doubt.
Some of the takeaways that could be procured from this situation would be:
Probably, clear communication between the player, the manager, and representatives is the way to avoid this type of situation. He, probably should have had a one-on-one with Maresca and sorted things out on his role instead of responding in public.
Ultimately, every player reacts to a lack of game time by impressing in training ground sessions and then flexes his muscles with strong performances to force his way back into the starting lineup.
- Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Making public, friction-filled statements around the team environment is counterproductive. Sterling’s representatives could have done the player better by working with the manager from behind closed doors.
It’s a young season, so he has a lot of time to get back on track. How he responds to this first setback will be an indication of his commitment and his character. He’ll be watched closely to see if Sterling chooses to let his actions speak louder than words.
