3 reasons Sterling starts up front for Chelsea tomorrow night | OneFootball

Raheem Sterling is the obvious choice to replace Nicolas Jackson up top for Chelsea tomorrow night, for a few reasons.

Firstly, and most importantly, he’s played that role before, for Manchester City and even for Chelsea last season on a few occasions.

Secondly, he’s got a lot of the skills necessary to play the role well. He doesn’t have the physical presence of Jackson, but he has the speed to run off the shoulder of the last defender, the agility to break free in the box and a history of poaching goals from close range.

Thirdly, in terms of resource allocation, he’s not going to hurt the team too much by being moved up front. Either Cole Palmer can be used on his place on the right wing, or Noni Madueke will finally get a chance, or Mauricio Pochettino can use Conor Gallagher as a sort of inside right.

While it’s not a perfect solution, and we’d be better off with a fit Armando Broja, Sterling should be able to get the job done if everyone around him plays well.