Sterling falls, Sterling to rise again?

Raheem Sterling was dropped for the most recent England internationals (Credit: sportingnews.com)

Raheem Sterling replaced Bukayo Saka in the 79th minute of the World Cup quarter final in Al Khor, Qatar, as England attempted to save their trophy hunting dreams whilst 2-1 down to reigning champions France. Captain Harry Kane missed a penalty five minutes later, and England were knocked out.

But the nation’s defeat was not even Sterling’s most difficult event of the week. Seven days earlier, the Chelsea FC winger discovered that his family home in Surrey had been burgled in a targeted attack whilst he was away in the Middle East. Sterling was said to be “shaken” and immediately returned to England, leaving the England squad in the middle of the World Cup, to be with his family, “prioritising the wellbeing” of his children; just in time for his 28th birthday.

Opening up recently to The Sun newspaper, Sterling, blamed himself for the impact of the incident on his family, who had only just moved into the property which lacked security measures appropriate for the high profile of the owner.

“It was something I meant to do before going to the World Cup and I didn’t so I was beating myself up about it,” Sterling reported to The Sun.

“It’s the most scary thing to know with the age of the people living in my house. It’s not a nice feeling.”

Although two men were arrested at the time, no evidence of the stolen watches has been recovered and no threats of violence were reported, leading to no charges. Thankfully, Sterling’s family was not at home.

Yet despite returning to Qatar to play once more for England, Sterling has not since returned to the kind of dazzling form on the pitch that has made him a household name in recent years. The Jamaican-born superstar has remained mostly anonymous in a disastrous season for Chelsea, following signing for the London club from title-winning Manchester City for a reported £47.5 million. He has scored just four goals and assisted three more in 25 league appearances as Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League with four games to play. The team has no chance of reaching the European competition places.

Sterling has faced a torrid season in his first at Chelsea (Credit: teamtalk.com)

Compounding his fall from grace, Sterling was not picked by Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate for England’s most recent international squad, for qualifying matches for Euro 2024 against Italy and Ukraine.

Whilst the shocking collapse of the team which won the Champions League less than two seasons ago cannot be solely attributed to Sterling’s performances, his vast Premier League title-winning pedigree has not manifested in the blue of London compared to the blue of Manchester. Signing in 2015, Sterling won ten major trophies with City including four Premier League titles. He was also awarded the coveted Football Writers’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for the 2018-19 season.

"Personally, this is one of the lowest points in my career," said Sterling in a recent interview with Sky Sports.

"It's been pretty smooth sailing winning, winning and winning [at Manchester City] 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.”

Having faced a very personal threat to the safety of his family at home, the major challenge now facing one of England’s highest performers is his future as a Three Lions player.

A Sterling England career

• Debut versus Sweden, November 2012, aged 17, after breaking into the Liverpool first team with a string of appearances in the Europa League and Premier League.

• World Cup 2014 starter for the opening game against Italy at 18 years old.

• First goal in March 2015 against Lithuania – also the match of Harry Kane’s debut – on his 14th cap.

• Starting player in England’s torrid Euro 2016 campaign, which ended with humiliating defeat to Iceland.

• Featured in six of the Three Lions’ seven games at the 2018 World Cup, assisting twice.

• Finally scored his third and fourth goals for England in his 46th cap – a stretch of over three years since his second - in a 3-2 victory away to Spain. This match signalled the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Kane.

• Hattrick against Czech Republic in Euros qualifying in March 2019.

• Captained England for the first time in Kane’s absence in the Nations League semi-final defeat to the Netherlands, June 2019.

• Completed Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with eight goals and nine assists in seven appearances.

• Scored three goals in the Euro 2020 finals and made it into the UEFA Team of the Tournament as England lost the final on penalties.

• Scored his 20th goal for the Three Lions in their opening match of the 2022 World Cup Finals against Iran, his 80th cap.

Sterling is England's joint-most capped current player with 82 caps - along with captain Harry Kane (Credit: talksport.com)

Can we count on Sterling to rise again?

Raheem Sterling is England’s joint-most capped current player, having made 82 appearances for the Three Lions in an international career over a decade long. Harry Kane, who is a year older than Sterling, is the other with 82 caps, and both have been core pieces of Gareth Southgate’s England team, having played 60 senior England games together.

This level of experience is invaluable not just on the pitch but in the dressing room. Southgate praised Sterling for his role in leading the England squad in exposing the abhorrent racist chanting and abuse directed at England players during the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, in Montenegro and again in Bulgaria.

Although football can often come down to the harsh realities of results, Southgate has often picked Sterling in his starting team regardless of the forward’s present form.

“Whenever I pick a squad, the country’s divided. Whenever I pick a team, the country’s divided. And then, if we play well, everybody comes together a little bit. And then everybody talks in the pub about who should’ve played and who should’ve come into the game and ‘why did I make that change?’ And they’re divided again,” Southgate said in exasperated fashion in a 2019 press conference, having dropped Sterling from the starting lineup in the previous game.

Sterling is a frequent choice by England manager Gareth Southgate - but now faces tough competition for his place (Credit: trendradars.com)

The indication is that it doesn’t necessarily matter what the outside world thinks should be the England team – it is down to the manager, who has far more insight into the workings of the England squad, its players and personalities. Sterling is clearly a trusted player.

But this season is different. Sterling faces direct competition for his left-wing position in the form of Manchester City’s Phil Foden, who displaced Sterling from the City team and led to the latter’s departure from the club. Marcus Rashford is another who plys his trade on the left, although is more often deployed on the right by Southgate. Crucially, the player who is a frequent substitute for Sterling during England matches is Jack Grealish, who is having an outstanding season with City.

Shaken by the incident whilst away in Qatar, left out of March’s Three Lions squad and with little sign of any improvement in form at Chelsea, Sterling faces another monumental challenge in his career to take back his place in the team and show the world again that he is worthy.