Chelsea star Carney Chukwuemeka has revealed Raheem Sterling is like his “big brother” as he appealed to Blues fans to “stick with us”.
England star Sterling and head coach Mauricio Pochettino were both booed during the FA Cup quarter-final win over Leicester City. Sterling, who missed a first-half penalty, still applauded Chelsea supporters as he was subbed off before subs Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke scored in injury time.
And the England U20 attacker insisted that Sterling can “100 per cent” handle the abuse - and revealed his work behind the scenes with the young Blues stars. “Raheem is an experienced player who has had an amazing career,” said Chukwuemeka, 20. “We know what a great footballer he is.
"He has had goals, assists and won so many penalties this season. It happens at the end of the day, he is human and players miss chances. He had an off day and for sure we stick behind him. Let’s not forget, he got an assist for Cole’s goal.
“For us youngsters — especially for me, Noni and Cole (Palmer) - Raheem has helped us a lot since we came here. He is always on us showing what we can do well and what to improve on. He is always on us, inside and outside football, Raheem is a big part of what we do. He is like my big brother.”
Premier League odds and betting tips
Chelsea are used to outside criticism this season and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville branded them “blue billion pound bottle jobs” after their Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool. But now sections of the Blues faithful have turned on their own team and head coach.
Mauricio Pochettino saw Raheem Sterling booed after he was subbed off against Leicester (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Who do you think will win the FA Cup this season? Let us know in the comments section
Chukwuemeka, who netted his first goal at Stamford Bridge, grew up supporting Chelsea and asked Blues fans: “Just to stick with us through highs and lows. We are definitely on the rise now but it is not always going to be easy.
"But just stick with us and keep supporting us through it all and give us that twelfth man on the pitch. For sure, everyone is only human, sometimes [as fans] you can’t control your emotions and stuff.
"You just need to trust the process. The whole team, fans included and for sure, big things are coming.”
Carney Chukwuemeka has defended his "big brother" Raheem Sterling after abuse from Chelsea fans (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)Another low point in the Leicester win was the farcical own goal scored by France centre-back Axel Disasi. “Axel is fine, man,” added Chukwuemeka. “He knows it happens. He is a big guy, he has got a great mentality, he is a great footballer, he will be fine.”
Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup final and sit 11th in the Premier League in Pochettino’s strange and inconsistent first season despite spending over £1bn in the transfer market. But the FA Cup offers a final chance of silverware - and European qualification - and potentially buy Pochettino more time and save him from the sack.
Speaking before the semi-final draw paired them with Manchester City, Chukwuemeka said: “It’s amazing. Another semi-final, that’s two now for the season. We went into the season wanting to win trophies, wanting to get to finals, so this is a massive opportunity for us as a young squad, an opportunity for us to play at Wembley and hopefully get to the final.
Cole Palmer celebrates with teammates Marc Cucurella, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling after their second goal (2024 Getty Images)"It’s amazing for me, of course, I missed the Carabao Cup final due to injury so to get the chance to play at Wembley with Chelsea is the stuff of dreams really. I’ve dreamt of that since I was a kid, as a fan of the club. It’s amazing, I can’t wait.
“We are 100 per cent not scared of any team. The belief in the squad is top. We know what we can do as a group and individually as well. We are not worried [about who we face]. We just have to focus on the next game and we will focus on the game when we get closer.”
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea - Kick-off time, TV channel and team news
and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
