Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has struggled during his time with Arsenal
Raheem Sterling’s time with Arsenal has been awful, with even his ‘inseparable’ relationship with Mikel Arteta breaking down.
The England forward penned a loan deal with the North London side in the summer, joining from Chelsea for the campaign. But Sterling has endured a woeful time of things at the Emirates Stadium.
He has just one goal in 22 appearances in all competitions; a Carabao Cup strike against Bolton way back in September. Arteta has only afforded Sterling four Premier League starts throughout the campaign and has refused to play him centrally even with the injury crisis that has enveloped their attack.
According to Mail Online, Sterling was not drafted in as a starter initially, instead being told he would be a support option for both flanks, while he is ready to play any role demanded of him. The emergence of Ethan Nwaneri, as well as a knee injury in December, have seen his minutes limited - a clear disappointment.
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And that has seen his relationship with boss Arteta change. It is suggested that the pair were near inseparable during their time at Manchester City, having spent plenty of time on the training pitch.
It is obvious that the dynamic will have changed given Arteta’s added authority at the Emirates, with communication slightly different. Sterling, however, still reportedly has respect for Arteta’s transparency, while the pair do still talk regularly.
Speaking about Sterling’s struggles, Arteta said: "The time in football flies. Things move and change and you have to do it again. Raz has been incredibly consistent in the last 10 years for the things he has done and now it's about doing it again.
Raheem Sterling
Sterling's relationship with Arteta has changed sonce their Man City days
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"What has changed? On a personal level, not so much. But obviously it is different because of the role that he has right now and what we demand from each other. What Pep [Guardiola] used to demand from him is different because now I'm the person who makes the final call."
There have also been questions over why Arteta has refused to deploy Sterling as an emergency striker amid their injury crisis. But there is a simple answer - he’d prefer to use someone already with some momentum and confidence, instead of biding his time waiting for the on-loan Chelsea man to get up to speed.
Despite the troubles he has stumbled into at the Emirates Stadium, Sterling is still determined to make his time in North London a success. The 30-year-old is said to be an extremely hard worker in training and has a strong desire to earn minutes.
Raheem Sterling has scored just one goal for Arsenal this season
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Sterling has also had a positive influence on Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly which even included pointers on how to deal with the media, with those behind the scenes impressed by his energy.
With Arsenal set to take on PSV in the second leg of their Champions League clash already with a six-goal advantage, Sterling will hope he is handed a rare opportunity to impress against the Dutch side.
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