Three Premier League points are up for grabs as Chelsea plays Arsenal in a London derby on Saturday night following their international break.
The Blues are 11th in the league standings and are starting against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge as the underdog. But before the break, Mauricio Pochettino’s team had a winning run of three games in all competitions, showing that this young team is coming together.
On Saturday, all eyes will be on Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino to see his starting lineup.
Raheem Sterling, 28, is the player Paul Merson most surely wants to start against Arsenal.
It’s intriguing that he believes Chelsea’s attacker can take advantage of the space created by Arsenal’s inverted full-back to have genuine success from the right side.
According to Merson, who spoke with Sky Sports, “Raheem Sterling should start on the right and look to hug the touchline and capitalise should Oleksandr Zinchenko invert into midfield and leave his left-back spot.”
Sterling started from the left wing and put on a season-best performance earlier this month, scoring and providing an assist in the 4-1 league victory over Burnley.
The English speedster has shown over many years that he can be productive from either flank, so Pochettino’s choices about who to fit into the forward positions might have a big impact.
As a senior member of this Chelsea team, we hope Sterling becomes a talisman in the coming months.
The Daily Mail reports that the £50 million winger has the form and skill to cause Arsenal significant problems.
Sterling is “so underrated,” according to Micah Richards, who made this statement this month on the “Match of the Day Top 10” podcast. This weekend, in a major game, he might show everyone just how good he really is.
