Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling was probably the Blues’ worst performer in the heavy loss to Brighton at the weekend.
There were plenty of others who didn’t cover themselves in glory either but you expect a lot more from a player who was signed from Manchester City for £47.5m in the summer.
Sterling did have some good moments in possession but he offered no cover for the back three when Brighton hit the Blues on the break, and fans on Twitter were not impressed by what they saw:
Sterling should be warming the bench, total waste of money
— GRAND2Fi (@Grand2Fi) October 30, 2022
He's awful atm. 😖
— CCR (@chris_clash) October 30, 2022
He has not been great. But it don’t help when he’s playing as a wing back.
— CFC ⭐️⭐️ (@secker09) October 30, 2022
His playing like he can't be bothered , he does nothing – absolutely nothing .
— Engr Gabby (@DADDY_CONCH2) October 30, 2022
I know he’s playing out of position but doesn’t explain why he can’t take people on, cross, pass or shoot atm. Was our best player under Tuchel. Need far more consistency or he’s just the next in a long list of failed attackers for us.
— Jimmy Phe (@JimmyHunterPhe) October 30, 2022
The guy just keeps running into players like he’s expecting to go through them, no trickery whatsoever to get past his marker
— Eja ‘nla 🦈 (@tamiloore__) October 30, 2022
Sterling is waste rn 😔😔
— OCTOBER 23🎉❤️ (@bigdowg001) October 30, 2022
Potter has to be brave enough to drop him. Every player earns their place and right now, he isnt
— Fullington Fulbright (@FFulbright) October 30, 2022
To be fair to Sterling, manager Graham Potter is playing him out of position. He is not a wingback and the quicker he is moved further forward the better.
Even so, the dropoff in the 27-year-old’s performances since the start of the season has been alarming. He bagged four goals and two assists in his first ten appearances, but he hasn’t made any contribution for almost a month now.