SIMON JORDAN: Why the fuss over Raheem Sterling? England don’t need him and don’t miss him… he has been AVERAGE for Chelsea
- Raheem Sterling was again left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad
- Eyebrows have been raised over the Chelsea star’s continued omission
- It’s baffling why Guardiola sold Palmer to a rival club – It’s All Kicking Off
Curiously, and for reasons that quite frankly evade me, eyebrows have been raised over Raheem Sterling’s continued omission from the England squad.
But why? He’s been pretty bang average for Chelsea. OK, he’s had a few decent games in recent weeks but I haven’t seen a series of hugely impressive performances from him that mean he demands inclusion — oh yes, I forgot the dizzy heights of a couple of goals against odds-on relegation favourites Luton Town! Some may point to his display against Tottenham last week but he was fairly ordinary until Spurs went down to nine men and were all over the place.
And if he was included, who would miss out? Possibly his club team-mate Cole Palmer, someone who really has impressed in what is a pretty workmanlike Chelsea team. So if Southgate is picking on form, he’s made the right call.
England are playing Malta and North Macedonia and have already qualified for Euro 2024. Why wouldn’t you weaponise Palmer in terms of experience and understanding what international football is like? He is the future and if Palmer continues to mature and progress as the season goes on, he could well be on the plane to Germany next summer and the squad will have benefited from this early exposure of playing for your country.
So I think it’s sensible from Southgate. We know what Sterling can do but if he really wants to get back in, he needs a consistent run of form.
Raheem Sterling has again been omitted from Gareth Southgate’s England squad this month
Sterling has now been left out of five consecutive England squads after previously being a regular
Sterling’s attacking output has regressed since Pep Guardiola was happy to see him leave
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Right now, we don’t need him and we don’t miss him. England will still beat Malta and North Macedonia without him, just like they beat Italy home and away without him.
There was constant debate over his playing time and form when he was at Manchester City and yet he was always indulged by England. There were plenty of times when people expressed surprise at his inclusion in an England squad and questioned Southgate’s thinking so, ironically, he’s on the other side of the argument now and one would assume his best course of action is to take the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and plough on with making a really compelling case to be selected to play for his country again.
Few would argue that Sterling has made anything other than an inauspicious start to life at Chelsea, so why the problem with Southgate picking on form? He’s not getting into England’s strongest team ahead of Bukayo Saka or Jack Grealish anyway, so I don’t understand all the fuss.
I have to be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Sterling as a player. From the disrespectful manner in which he left Liverpool, to the ridiculous misplaced suggestion he is world class, I have always felt he was overrated. The best coach in the world clearly didn’t fancy him week in, week out either otherwise he wouldn’t have sold him. Pep Guardiola was happy to see a player averaging a goal every 2.5 games for City leave.
His output has regressed since those days and he now averages a goal every four games at Chelsea so I’m struggling to see the controversy here.
There is no doubt he’s a good player but world class? Give me a break. Many felt he was England’s star man at Euro 2020 and no doubt his goal tally was a contributing factor to England’s success in that tournament, but let’s not get carried away here and rewrite history while advancing a wrongful case for his inclusion in an England squad.
Conspiracy theorists may point to the fact that Southgate has not selected Sterling since he withdrew from a previous England squad. The tin-hat brigade will also point to Ben White’s continued omission since heading home early from England’s World Cup campaign in Qatar and will suggest these two are suffering some form of retribution for a slight on Southgate.
Many felt that the winger was England’s star man at Euro 2020, but he hasn’t been selected since he withdrew from a previous England squad
Games against Malta and North Macedonia are great opportunities to let young players like Cole Palmer (right) shine
White, some may suggest, is more interested in what he looks like, with an over-affection for sunbeds and sporting a fine head of bleached blond hair (nothing wrong with bleached blond hair by the way) alongside being in an Arsenal team that succumbed to the pressure of top-class opposition. Maybe those characteristics are not what Southgate wants, especially from someone who would only be a squad player anyway. I’m not sure I see much value in those conspiracy theories.
Sterling — and White — have no divine right to be selected for England and even if they did make the squad, few could argue they should be in the starting XI.
Southgate, in pursuit of the only thing that can be really considered as progress in his fourth tournament — that being England winning it — has undoubtedly earned the right to pick who he bleeding well wants. Do any England fans have any complaints about what Southgate has achieved during this qualifying campaign? No. England cantered through qualifying and will go into the summer as one of the favourites to win the Euros.
So for Sterling acolytes like Rio Ferdinand, spinning the PR, let’s not waste time worrying about fringe players who may well be the past and focus on the future and this excellent group of players Southgate has selected. This is an exciting time for England and worrying on those that are not deemed currently good enough by an England manager with plenty of credit in the bank is a fool’s errand.
Belt up and show refs some respect
Managers need to read the room.
Last week it was Mikel Arteta, this week we’ve seen Roberto De Zerbi and Mauricio Pochettino believing they can behave however they like towards officials.
Brighton’s De Zerbi – a young, up-and-coming manager with a burgeoning reputation – had the chutzpah to claim he doesn’t like 80 per cent of the refereeing fraternity, while Pochettino marched across the pitch towards the officials after Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with Manchester City because he felt they were too quick to blow for full-time.
Referees are trying to change the direction of travel so they have more control and more respect.
Mauricio Pochettino (pictured) and Roberto De Zerbi are the latest managers who believe they can behave however they like towards officials
A starting point to address this issue is that the protagonists – the managers – realise there must be better behaviour on their part.
De Zerbi’s observation was completely out of keeping with the professionalism and discipline exhibited by his club and it was difficult to compute what he thought he would achieve with such comments.
There seems to be a feeling among Premier League managers that they can say whatever they like about referees and rather than show them more respect, they are showing them less.
Nothing is seemingly off limits but Howard Webb and his match officials must hold firm and continue with their positioning and, of course, up their game. They are in charge, they are the authority. The sooner managers realise and accept this, the better for everyone.
It’s embarrassing to hear Ramsdale’s dad bleating
What is this trend of players’ families coming out and defending grown men?
First we had Harry Maguire’s mum defending him and now we’ve got Aaron Ramsdale’s dad bleating about his son’s treatment at Arsenal.
This is the professional game, not schoolboy football where the teacher gets admonished by a parent if their child is not given what they think they are entitled to. These are so-called people to admire, to view as heroes. Surely they don’t need mummy and daddy to tell us how hard done by they are.
Whatever next? Has the manager got to tuck them in and read them a bedtime story? It’s embarrassing and unnecessary — as I’m sure Maguire and Ramsdale would agree.
Aaron Ramsdale’s dad has complained of his son’s treatment at Arsenal this season
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