Can Raheem Sterling Reignite his form at Arsenal? Player Scouting Report

A tactical dive on Raheem Sterling’s profile, career so far and how he’s been one of Premier League’s most consistent wingers in recent times

Raheem Sterling has been a household name in the Premier League, having played for some of the biggest clubs in England. His influence at Manchester City under Guardiola has been a career highlight, scoring 55 league goals in 3 campaigns with a no xG of 45.4.

Sterling is an absolute baller, someone who’s a natural entertainer for his playing style. Aesthetic, simple but very well rounded in his actions. Sterling’s pace, dribbling techniques and agile body has made him a constant threat

Although primarily playing as a winger at LW, he’s versatile to tuck onto anywhere in the front 4 – showcasing his exceptional understanding of the game and experience in causing defences chaos with his movements.

Sterling’s spell at Chelsea since 2022 has been a rather disappointing one. In the hopes of making a change, he’s recently joined hands with Arsenal, on a season long loan under his previous manager Mikel Arteta. A reunion to rediscover form;

Firstly, let’s look at his player profile:
Age: 29
Club: Arsenal
Position: RW/LW
Foot: Right/Left
Nationality: English
Value: €34M
Height: 5’8
Avg SofaScore rating: 6.95

Strengths: Dribbling, Speed, Creativity, Pressing, Experience
Weaknesses: Consistency

Playstyle – In Possession

Dribbling being his go-to move – Raheem loves challenging defenders in 1v1 scenarios. Confidently takes them on with his outer right foot in order to keep the ball in his proximity and uses his burst of pace to gap them

He’s also capable of being very creative with his dribbles – stop/starts, cheeky nutmegs, stepovers, flicks and body feints to outfox opponents in going one way or the other. Preferable route is finding the far corner

As a strong ball carrier he’s a practitioner of La Pausa; constantly scans around to search for his teammates in order to stay aware of the subtle OTB movements and maintain tempo. Averaging 8.36 touches in the opp. box p90 speaks of his instinctual drive into the attacking third

He has no real angle bias, he can shift himself to favourable positions due to his elite understanding of the game + ambi pedal ability to influence the game. Can be a real threat from any given angle because of his wide range of shooting + finishing techniques

Sterling has improved with his positioning with time – getting into advanced channels + anticipating passing lanes to pull off shots has improved. Receiving passes into the final third has helped improve his xG rate drastically

As I mentioned before, he loves being optimistic with his dribbles; but that can transcend him to being a bit selfish at times. Not passing when he could + delaying the passage of play + taking extra touches in order to do something of his own

Playstyle – Out of Possession

Raheem’s blistering pace is another reason to make him a custodian in the game. What helps him the most is his agile body and low centre of gravity – eases things out in tight spaces in order to find a route out of too many congested markers

Sterling’s transitional threat while running at the ball at high speed in larger spaces makes him dominate spaces effortlessly – could be handy in counter attacking scenarios. He also does very well in physically imposing himself when carrying the ball

Sterling’s defensive side has a ricochet effect of his attacking game. Grown intelligent with his pressing routines with time. Without the ball he can cover the ground quick and put defenders in uncomfortable positions, forcing them to clear/giveaway the ball.

Blocks passing lanes effectively > aids in voluntarily to recycle the ball through his movements. Although not directly always winning a duel, he knows how to regain possession with his body and delay attacks from build up phase

Areas to Improve:

Finishing and decision making in the final third has always been Raheem’s area to work on, although it gets frustrating at times it can work out effectively if he shows more composure in such situations.

Fit at Arsenal:

Sterlings’s noise massively comes on the pitch with his subtle OTB movements and this can again peak at Arsenal with the players around him – especially Ødegaard. Lofted through balls between defenders or positioning himself smartly at the back post

He’s got an instinctual ability to get into dangerous patches of play, which has made him a very clever player. Arsenal love creating for their attacking players, so getting into the spaces of a cross + cutback can do him a world of difference

Sterling playing through the left could give the Gunners a strong variable. The LHS of Calafiori x Merino x Sterling would provide the tactical flexibility of overlaps/underlaps and also create spaces to interchange and maximise the LHS drastically

Shot creating actions through take ons, goal creating actions through fouls drawn are ranked very high. Threaded through balls from the half spaces on either wing to Havertz at CF would be a good variable after cutting inside

Conclusion:

Sterling’s transition period from a balanced environment at City under Guardiola to different managers in his 2 year spell at Chelsea has only gone on to effect his game. Might’ve not had the most impressive spells but it surely is promising.

On a season long loan, his versatile nature can give Arsenal a short term solution + dependability to rely on. The experience + tactical suitability at Arsenal can see him get back to his very best under Mikel Arteta

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