The manager of Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino, emphasizes the significance of the club’s fans and players “moving forward” following the booing of Raheem Sterling by supporters.
Sterling encountered disapproval from certain segments of the Stamford Bridge crowd during Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Leicester City in the recent FA Cup quarter-final.
Pochettino faced jeers for his choice to replace Mykhailo Mudryk instead of Sterling in the 78th minute.
“We now need to move on. It will help if we do,” said Pochettino.
“What we cannot do is create bigger things from this now because we know fans love our players and I know they will support him and the rest of the team.
“Raheem is a spirited player and he understands it all.”
Pochettino’s Chelsea will enjoy the advantage of playing at home against struggling Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, with fans anticipating another triumph.
Sterling failed to convert a first-half penalty against Leicester and sent a free-kick sailing over the crossbar in the second half, drawing disapproval from the home crowd.
Prior to the match, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust expressed “significant concerns” about the club’s future in a detailed letter addressed to co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
It said there was growing concern that Chelsea are becoming “a ‘laughing stock’, both on and off the pitch”.
“We need to be careful in the way we talk and give our opinions because there needs to be a strong relationship between everyone,” said Pochettino.
“I just want our players to play really well. I was also suffering the anger of the fans and their disappointment; in fact, the whole team suffered in this situation.”