“STOP THE BLAME, I AM NOT THE PROBLEM”, “Raheem Sterling breaks silence after three-word Chelsea chant and penalty miss-Sterling has his say on yesterday 😱
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Raheem Sterling has given a message to Chelsea fans following his performance against Leicester City. The Blues advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday, but Sterling had a mixed performance.
The Chelsea attacker was fouled in the first half and took the penalty instead of the scheduled taker, Cole Palmer. Sterling, 29, attempted a shot down the middle, but it went to the goalkeeper’s right and was easily stopped by Leicester’s Jakub Stolarczyk.
The England international also missed a one-on-one opportunity later in the half, but he set up Palmer’s goal before the break to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead. After the Blues conspired to squander their lead in the second half, Sterling was chastised for sending a free kick over the crossbar from the edge of the area. Chelsea fans yelled at Mauricio Pochettino to ‘Get him off’, and the attacker was removed to a mix of praise and boos.
Sterling addressed Chelsea fans on social media, writing, “Wembley bound. I apologise to all Chelsea fans for the missed penalty. I’ll be returning 10 times stronger to assist the squad win and will continue to battle for the badge every day. Let’s go blues.”
Sterling has struggled to find his best form in recent weeks and was left out of England’s last squad. Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino supported Sterling’s choice to take the penalty in his post-match press conference.
“Cole can miss, Raheem can miss, look for me, the decision is there and of course I’m going to support always, the decision of my players on the pitch,” stated manager Mauricio Pochettino. “That is about to grow and be more mature and of course, always happy we take decisions.”
When asked how Sterling dealt with the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino replied, “I believe I can’t hide anything. You know, I suppose you, like me, felt bad for him, but I’m going to support him, and that’s all we’re going to do. I thought he was fantastic, and this is an excellent opportunity to support him.
“He has an outstanding CV; he has played in large teams, he is an experienced player, and he missed a penalty and some chances today.
“But look, I think I am happy with him and we are going to support and I see the chances we have, I think the chances to show that we are building something because I think we are going to support him and for sure we are going to get the lead on the game that he needs to help the team.”
