The Premier League is back for Chelsea, who urgently need points to recover from the poor situation in which they arrived at the World Cup break, with three consecutive defeats. Their next game is against Bournemouth.
Sterling is one of the key names in the Premiership this matchday. The England striker left in the middle of the World Cup after suffering a burglary at home, although he was later able to rejoin Gareth Southgate's team. Now it's his turn to play a key role again for the Blues.
"It was a positive from his time at the World Cup, but he has come back focused on the game and knowing that we can all do a little bit better," Graham Potter told a press conference ahead of the Bournemouth clash.
Potter pointed out that "Sterling is good, as good as one can be" after that shock. "It would be wrong to say Raheem has been at the absolute top of his game, but he's not the only one. It's my responsibility to help the team perform better so he can play better," he added.
Chelsea are out of the European qualification places at the moment and Sterling has only scored five goals. Both are desperate to get back to their best if they are to put the criticism behind them.