Graham Potter insists he has no doubts over Raheem Sterling despite the Chelsea forward’s struggle for goals this season.
The England international has scored just once in his last 11 appearances for Chelsea and has struggled for consistent end product since arriving at Chelsea from Manchester City during the summer. The 27-year-old has five goals in all competitions, but just one since Potter’s arrival as head coach in early September.
Sterling has featured in a number of different positions under Potter’s management, with the Chelsea boss having experimented with the summer arrival at wing-back on occasion.
Sterling will face his former side when Chelsea meet Man City in the Carabao Cup’s third round on Wednesday evening, as he looks to rediscover his form ahead of England’s World Cup campaign later this month.
Ahead of the clash, Potter hailed Sterling as a ‘top, top player’ and has backed the winger to come through a challenging period at Stamford Bridge.
“You can tell by his reaction he is honest. Players go through moments in their career when it isn’t so positive and sometimes everything they touch is gold,” the Blues boss said at his pre-match press conference.
“I don’t think you can zoom in on the individual. The team is not functioning as I would like. That has an impact on the individuals and Raheem is an individual within the team. The work for us is to try to improve the team and the structures.
“I have no doubts about Raheem’s quality – he is a top, top player.”
