Frank Lampard has launched a passionate defence of Raheem Sterling, who has not been able to replicate the performances that saw him score 131 goals in seven seasons at Manchester City and become a lynchpin of Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions team since joining Chelsea. The £50million recruit has managed only four league goals since arriving at Stamford Bridge in July. Lampard said, “I’ve spent the last three years talking to all my younger wingers that I work with, showing them videos of Raheem Sterling arriving at the back post, doing defensively the work he does. You absolutely cannot take that away from him, what he’s done, for Manchester City and England. When you move club, even though everyone on the outside goes ‘oh what hard work that is, moving from Man City to Chelsea, what a terrible situation’, it does bring around changes in your life. Of course maybe the form of the team this season has not been great, so there can always be a lot of contributing factors to individual form. He’s got credit in the bank. Keep working, things around him falling more into place, I think with Raheem he’ll show what he’s shown in his career. We have a lot of understandable reasons and stories within the squad, the newer younger players, some players who will be moving on. There are a lot of those reasons.”
Sterling himself admits he is currently at the lowest point in his career but has vowed to give his all in order to restore pride in what remains of Chelsea’s miserable campaign. He said, “Personally, this is one of the lowest points in my career. This might sound a bit weird, but it is also a great learning curve. It’s been pretty smooth sailing winning, winning and winning but sometimes in life stuff gets thrown at you and it is a challenge that I’m looking forward to, hitting it head on and not trying to hide from it. It will only make me stronger and also the group stronger. These challenges, not in just football but life as well, it’s crucial to how we deal with things and how we kick on after.”