"Sack him, sack him now", "Makes my blood boil" - Chelsea fans unhappy with star man's inclusion in XI to face Newcastle
Chelsea fans want Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked after seeing Raheem Sterling selected in his starting XI to face Newcastle United tonight (March 11).
Pochettino is in dire need of a positive result as the pressure is growing on the Argentine coach. His side sit 11th in the league, 19 points off the top four after 26 games played.
Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw away at Brentford last Saturday (March 2). A ton of criticism is being placed at Pochettino's door for failing to reignite the floundering west Londoners this season.
Pochettino's starting lineup to tackle Eddie Howe's Magpies at Stamford Bridge has done him no favors with the fans. He's started Djorjde Petrovic in goal, with Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella in defense.
The Blues boss has trusted in his favored midfield trio of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Conor Gallagher.
Sterling joins Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson in attack against Newcastle. The English winger has struggled to win over fans despite registering eight goals and nine assists in 34 games across competitions.
Pochettino was booed by a section of Chelsea fans during their frustrating draw against Brentford. He admitted that the Stamford Bridge faithful were right to air their grievances.
Blues fans have done so again on social media and one fan wants the Argentine to pack his bags for choosing Sterling over Mykhailo Mudryk:
"Sterling over Mudryk again. Sack him. Sack him now."
Another fan was furious to see the former Manchester City attacker starting:
"Sterling being in the XI makes my blood boil."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the Blues' XI to face Newcastle:
Fabrizio Romano rubbished reports linking Chelsea's Raheem Sterling with Al-Hilal
Sterling's struggles this season have led to his future being speculated about. The 29-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from City in July 2022 for a reported £47.5 million.
The four-time Premier League champion has bagged 17 goals and 13 assists in 72 games across competitions since then. He's endured topsy-turvy form, lacking consistency throughout this season.
There has been talk of Sterling potentially heading to the Saudi Pro League and joining Al-Hilal. He reportedly turned down the chance to head to the Middle East and become one of Saudi football's highest earners.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano gave an update on Sterling's situation. He claims that the winger is concentrating on Chelsea:
"No changes on Raheem Sterling despite fresh stories, no contacts with Al Hilal, not even talks so far. Full focus on Chelsea."
Sterling has three years left on his contract with the Blues. They have been linked with a move for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams who has a £43 million release clause.