Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, who is under various criticism as he fell to the bottom early in the season, delivered a message about overcoming the crisis. In particular, Pochettino summoned "legendary" Zinedine Zidane to cover for Raheem Sterling, who is being booed by home fans. Sterling said he can overcome the pressure and become a top star like Zidane.
British media The Sun reported on the 17th (Korea Standard Time) that "Pochettino said Sterling could be a new Zidane." Being able to be a 'new Zidane' is not about Sterling's football prowess. In the past, Zidane was strongly criticized by home fans in the early days of joining Real Madrid, but just as he overcame it and showed the world's best skills, Sterling can overcome the booing of Chelsea home fans. It is also Pochettino's wish.
Sterling joined Chelsea for 47.5 million pounds (about 78.4 billion won) in the transfer market last summer. But it didn't get much support from Chelsea home fans. He was booed by Chelsea home fans during an away game against Bournemouth in May. After four months, he is set to play away to Bournemouth again. Chelsea will play Bournemouth in the fifth round of the season on the night of the 17th. Despite the huge investment, Chelsea have done badly in the season. By the fourth round, he had one win, one draw, and two losses, falling to 14th place. Criticism from fans is pouring in.
Ahead of the match, Pochettino gave Sterling a boost for the first time in a while. "We'll be able to turn the booing of the past into applause," he said. "We have a young squad, and there's a player like a big investment for the team. It's not fair to judge them by one or two games. I always use the same example: one player who has paid a huge transfer fee for Real Madrid in the past. The name is Zinedine Zidane, who is an amazing player." Pochettino then said, "Jidan started playing seven to eight months after joining the team. He was 26 or 27 years old at the time. You have to be careful when bringing in players aged 18 to 21. They are not machines," he added. This means that a veteran has a separate role to play.
Sterling is also 28 years old this year and is about the same age as Zidane in the past. Pochettino expects Sterling to be an all-around who helps young players develop on the team, as Zidane did in the past, while also scoring goals and assisting. That's because that's what Zidane showed in the past. Pochettino reported that Starling could do this. Pochettino said: "I'm very happy about Sterling's performance and the behavior he's shown over the past two weeks. He worked really hard," he said, predicting Sterling will be the key player to the victory over Bournemouth.