Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has attempted to try to diffuse the hostility towards Raheem Sterling.
In terms of numbers, Sterling has delivered a solid return since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022, contributing 17 goals and 14 assists from 74 appearances.
However, a lack of consistency and several questionable decisions made during games has resulted in the England international receiving criticism from his own fanbase.
During the FA Cup quarter-final with Leicester City before the international break, Sterling was roundly booed after a wayward free kick, with the effort coming on the back of a missed penalty - after taking the ball off Cole Palmer - and a squandered one-on-one opening.
Speaking to the media after the game, Pochettino leapt to the defence of the 29-year-old, who continues to be linked with a transfer elsewhere in the summer.
Whether that comes to fruition remains to be seen with Sterling said to be motivated to prove his doubters wrong, but he must first try to produce some positive performances during the run-in.
Ahead of another game at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, this time against Burnley, Pochettino was naturally quizzed on the matter at a press conference, seemingly preferring to see both sides of the argument after a period of reflection.
Pochettino told reporters, as quoted by football.london: "It's about being calm now and accept the situation. The most important [thing] is to deal with this situation with our experience. We cannot create bigger things that were emotional at some point.
"I really believe our fans love our players and for sure they are going to support him and the result of the team. The teammates need to be good teammates and can talk and express the emotions. But I think we need to be careful in the way we are talking and give our opinions because we need to build a relationship with everyone.
"I said after the game [against Leicester] I don't agree because always the players want to play well and score goals. This type of situation is bigger to only pay attention to what happened. I was also suffering the anger of the fans because of the disappointment of the fans.
"The whole team were suffering but the most important thing is Raheem is an experienced player. Of course he understands. Look, we need to move on, to try, for us to help to protect the player, that is our responsibility and the player to understand they need to make the effort to try and convince the fans we are in a very good way."
Chelsea are yet again dealing with a lengthy injury list, with the club and Pochettino revealing on Thursday that they are contending with five fresh issues ahead of welcoming the Clarets to West London.
Should Sterling start against Burnley?
With Chelsea needing to go on the offensive against Burnley in order to deliver three points, Mykhaylo Mudryk could again be used centrally, providing that he is passed fit after his efforts for Ukraine over the past week.
That effectively leaves Sterling to compete with Cole Palmer - who is expected to be fit despite not gaining any minutes with England - and Noni Madueke for the two wide positions.
Based on his performance against Leicester, Sterling should probably drop down to the substitutes' bench, but Chelsea face a run of three games in eight days and need as many players as fresh as possible.
Unlike many of his teammates, Sterling has not been on international duty, so he will probably get the nod down the left with Madueke most likely being kept in reserve. body check tags ::
