ESPN FC pundit Steve Nicol thinks Raheem Sterling’s England snub was the factor behind his excellent display in Chelsea’s 4-1 win against Burnley.
Raheem Sterling caused the home side’s own goal before winning a penalty and scoring himself and Nicol, speaking on ESPN, put that performance down to him being left out of the England squad.
Gareth Southgate has not picked the winger for the Three Lions’ upcoming games versus Australia and Italy.
He also left Sterling out for England’s last round of international fixtures, so the 28-year-old, who has “special qualities”, according to his former manager Pep Guardiola, really did have a point to prove at Turf Moor yesterday.
England snub fuelling Raheem Sterling
Nicol believes Sterling used his omission from the latest England squad as motivation in Chelsea’s recent victory over Vincent Kompany’s side.
When asked how did Sterling spark the Blues’ comeback at Turf Moor, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men going 1-0 down at first, Nicol said: “I think it’s pretty straightforward what’s sparking this: not getting picked for England. I mean, it’s one thing not to be picked, it’s another thing when it’s all over the papers, it’s all over the media.
“And quite frankly, from the player’s point of view, it’s a little bit embarrassing, particularly when you were not just a regular in the England squad, but an absolute regular starter for your country. So that absolutely fuelled his flame and he produced.”
Chelsea needed that Raheem Sterling performance
It does not really matter what got Sterling to perform on the day. The most important thing is he got the job done, and that is what Chelsea needed.
After beating Fulham 2-0 on Monday, it would have been a huge setback to then go and lose to Burnley.
Following their poor start to the season, Chelsea were able to gain a bit of confidence and momentum after their win at Craven Cottage and defeat against the Clarets would have just killed all of that.
Thankfully, largely because of Sterling, that was avoided and his side now have reason to feel optimistic going into their next match versus Arsenal.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
