Arsenal edged past Leicester City thanks to a star cameo from Mikel Merino however, it wasn’t an afternoon to remember for every player.
Merino came off the bench to score twice to give Arsenal the win but it was Ethan Nwaneri who earned the highest praise.
The Hale End graduate picked up the man of the match award for his efforts, assisting Merino’s first of the afternoon to break the deadlock.
While Nwaneri put on an inspired display, the same can’t be said to his attacking teammate Raheem Sterling, who was far from his best at the King Power.
Raheem Sterling had a nightmare against Leicester City
Arsenal fans were not impressed with Sterling as the winger started on the left in place of the injured Gabriel Martinelli.
Amid the Gunners’ dire injury situation going forward, there was an expectation for the 30-year-old to step up but, he did far from that against the Foxes.
Sterling was one of the worst players on the pitch against Leicester, failing to make an impact whenever he had the chance in the wide areas.
The Chelsea loanee’s lack of spark was incredibly frustrating given how badly Arsenal needed the veteran Premier League forward to raise the bar, with his performance amounting to very little.
Such was evident as, remarkably, Sterling recorded more offsides than he did shots and dribbles combined, telling of his struggles at the King Power.
| Raheem Sterling vs Leicester City |
| 0 dribbles completed |
| 1 shot |
| 0 shots on target |
| 1 key pass |
| 2 offsides |
| 2x dispossessed |
| 0 duels won |
| 0 crosses completed |
The once England international was needlessly caught offside twice in the game, completing none of his attempted dribbles and firing just one shot on goal.
It was an off day for Sterling that unfortunately hasn’t been rare, as the winger continues to fail to live up to expectation following his deadline day move to Arsenal.
Enzo Maresca’s doubts about Raheem Sterling were right
While it’s a great shame that Sterling hasn’t been able to hit his previous heights following his transfer, Arteta cannot be too surprised at the outcome of the loan.
Chelsea were willing to part ways with the winger due to Enzo Maresca’s lack of belief in his quality, as the Italian axed the 30-year-old from his squad.
When speaking to the media at the time, Maresca made it clear that Sterling would not get minutes at Chelsea, insisting that his actions regarding the Englishman’s future were not ‘brutal’.
“Brutal? I don’t think so. I try to be honest. I can repeat again if it’s not clear: I spoke with Raheem. I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad.”
Despite Maresca not believing Sterling was up to standard at Chelsea, Arteta and Edu Gaspar recruited the former Manchester City star to attempt to make a difference.
Lo and behold, the duo’s hopes have not come true as it appears week by week that Maresca’s assessment of the loanee was painfully correct.
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