Joe Cole was full of praise for Chelsea star Raheem Sterling after his performance on Wednesday night against Red Bull Salzburg.
Chelsea’s new head coach, Graham Potter, kickstarted his Blues career with a 1-1 draw against Salzburg at Stamford Bridge.
Noah Okafor scored an equalising goal for visitors Leipzig to cancel out Sterling’s opener, which means the teams earned a point each in the Champions League groups stages.
It leaves Chelsea with a lot to do in the remainder of the group to qualify for the knockouts. Up next, a double header against Italian giants AC Milan in some glamorous Champions League ties.
Raheem Sterling against Salzburg
Cole highlighted Sterling in his post-match analysis for his eye-catching Chelsea performance.
It was noticeable from the very start of the game that Potter deployed the 27-year-old attacker in a wing-back position, something that shocked everyone.
In fairness, the tactical system actually meant the England international played more like an old fashioned winger high up the pitch in the opposition’s half. He got plenty of possession and tormented defenders with his dribbling. Also, he struck a fabulous goal with a curled effort into the corner.
“He was disciplined in his role, and he was getting a lot of joy… He took to the role like he’s been playing it for his whole life. He was outstanding,” Cole told BT Sport 3 (10:25pm, 14 September).
Chris Sutton tipped Sterling at the start of August to be Chelsea’s key player this season, which is absolutely spot on so far.
The wide man now has four goals in eight appearances this campaign since his arrival in the summer from Manchester City.
It’s obvious that Potter has a big job on his hands trying to get Chelsea to attack more freely and to score more goals, but Sterling will surely play a big part in that, just like against Salzburg.
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