Mauricio Pochettino urges fans to ‚move on‘ from Raheem Sterling boos
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says the club must „move on“ after winger Raheem Sterling was booed by supporters during their 4-2 win over Leicester City.
Blues teammate Noni Madueke was quick to support Sterling, saying the criticism he received was both „harsh and unfair“. Pochettino also faced a reaction from the crowd when he decided to substitute Mykhailo Mudryk instead of Sterling in the 78th minute of the game.
Now, Pochettino says that players need to show fans that the club is in safe hands, in order to see success.
„It’s about being calm now and accepting the situation,“ Pochettino said. „The most important thing with our experience is to manage and deal with these types of things. We are talking about a very experienced player.
„I really believe the fans love and support our player, and for sure they are going to support him and the rest of the team.
„I know that the teammates need to be a good teammate and players can talk, express their emotions and their opinions. But I think we need to be careful in the way that we are going to talk, and to give our opinion. We need to build a strong relationship between everyone.
„I was also suffering the anger of the fans because of disappointment. I think the whole team was suffering in this situation.
„The most important thing is Raheem is an experienced player. For sure, he understands. After the game, we explained the situation. Now we need to move on, to try, for us to help and protect the players – that is our responsibility.
„When you want to win and see your club doing well, it’s normal it’s going to happen. It’s about expectation. The expectation is so big. I think we are calm, always, feeling the responsibility.“
Chelsea return to action after the international break on Saturday when they host Burnley in the Premier League.