‘Defenders are terrified’… Graeme Souness says opponents hate playing against £50m Chelsea star

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Graeme Souness has given an interesting verdict on Chelsea star Raheem Sterling.

Raheem Sterling, 28, is spending this international break back at Cobham training with the rest of the Chelsea squad not picked for their countries.

There’s certainly a big argument that the £50million winger (Daily Mail) should be with Gareth Southgate’s England side right now. For example, speaking via the It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Chris Sutton shared his confusion that Sterling missed out on a spot in the England camp to Manchester United’s out-of-form forward Marcus Rashford.

Nightmare for defenders

Despite his international snub, Souness has delivered a glowing verdict on the form of Sterling. He agrees that the Chelsea winger should be with England right now.

“If you’re a full back, would you rather play against Sterling or Jack Grealish? I think 10 out of 10 would rather play against Grealish,” Souness wrote for The Daily Mail.

“Sterling is more dangerous than him. Defenders are terrified of pace and directness. Grealish threatens to go down the line, does a couple of stepovers and then cuts inside and plays the ball square nearly every time. Sterling goes at you and, as a defender, you’re praying you have a team-mate covering you.

“We’re seeing less and less of Grealish at Manchester City, and more of Jeremy Doku. Would you want to play against Doku? No, because he’s more like Sterling.

“That’s a tremendous option to have if you’re Gareth Southgate. Surely, he must have watched Sterling’s performance in Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with City and altered his thinking? He was fabulous, sprinting at people, doing the hard yards — which can be so easily overlooked — and showing a real determination not to lose, and that can be infectious.”

His pace is back

To the naked eye, Sterling does look like he’s got an extra spring in his step this year and looks back to his very fastest.

His recent individual display against Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker highlighted just how confident he looks in his own body. If you can trouble him with your speed and trickery, most defenders in the league are doomed.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side is beginning to score goals at a far more frequent rate, with the pace of Sterling and Nicolas Jackson something that will unsettle opponents.

Let’s hope Sterling uses the frustration of his latest England snub to fuel some great form after the international break.