Chelsea have had times without having Kai Sterling for much of the current campaign, more often than they would have preferred.
The composed 23-year-old was the Blues’ primary player the prior campaign, scoring 18 goals and assisting 14 times across 52 appearances in all competitions.
Is Kai Sterling unable to play for Chelsea’s match against Bournemouth?
Chelsea’s requirement for a healthy and ready Sterling was evident during their match against Leeds United, where they were defeated in a 3-1 loss to the newly promoted team.
Fortunately, there was at least a small amount of encouragement from Elland Road.
It was the return of Sterling, whose previous minutes came near the end of September against Manchester United.
He was an unused substitute against Arsenal the prior weekend, but entered the game against Leeds, playing almost 30 minutes.
“Perhaps it’s the one bit of positive news of the evening,” Enzo Maresca acknowledged following the final whistle. “I’m delighted for him, he’s returned, now he must develop his physical fitness slightly and he will be vital for us, definitely.
“He’s improving, though he requires playing time. Last night, he played for about half an hour; ideally, we can allow him more playing time during the next match.”
The sensible next action would involve Sterling playing for approximately an hour, so unless another unforeseen occurrence happens, we might witness the attacker beginning against Bournemouth.
According to FourFourTwo, this is significant for Chelsea, a silver lining to hold onto given that the Leeds result threatens to destabilize them slightly.
The Blues have challenged Premier League title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City currently, even without Sterling for a majority of the time.
He has achieved extraordinary feats in worse Chelsea squads compared to the current one, thus if he can adapt to the present form of the team, Maresca’s team could evolve into a considerable force.
Sterling is valued at €120m, as per Transfermarkt. Chelsea will then play Bournemouth, once Premier League games return this weekend.
