“What are we going to do?”, “Bare jokes” – Chelsea fan furious with decision to name 28-year-old star only on the bench against Fulham

Chelsea fans are fuming on X (formerly Twitter) after Mauricio Pochettino benched Raheem Sterling for their Premier League clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, October 2.

The Blues are in desperate need of a win to get their Premier League campaign back on track. They are currently 15th in the standings with five points having played six games.

Robert Sanchez starts in goal for Chelsea. Marc Cucurella, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva, and Levi Colwill make up the defense.

The midfield consists of Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernandez. Cole Palmer replaces Raheem Sterling at right wing, while Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja partner him in attack to complete the starting XI. Nicolas Jackson is suspended, having picked up five yellow cards already.

Pochettino has revealed that Sterling is on the bench because he didn't train for the past three days due to a virus, saying (via Premier League's official website):

"Raheem Sterling didn’t train in the last 3 days, he got a virus and that is why he cannot be in the starting XI. I think Armando is ready to play; I don’t know if it will be 90 minutes."

However, fans are reacting negatively on X. One fan wrote:

"STERLING DOESNT START BARE JOKES"

Another fan posted:

"What are we going to do without Sterling????"

Sterling has been one of Chelsea's most important players this season. The 28-year-old has scored two goals in seven appearances but has arguably been their main source of creativity in attack. He will be aiming to make an impact against 12th-placed Fulham as a substitute.

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Micah Richards admits he's already a fan of 29-year-old who Chelsea sold to Manchester City this summer

Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards admitted he's already a fan of former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, following the latter's move to Manchester City this summer.

Kovavic plied his trade for the Blues for five seasons between 2018 and 2023. He made 221 appearances across all competitions, winning four trophies, including the UEFA Champions League.

The Croatian midfielder joined City this summer, signing a four-year deal. Despite just making eight appearances to date, Richards has been left impressed as he said (via The Chelsea Chronicle):

“Rodri – him missing – it’s more that he controls the tempo of the game. I’m not saying if he was there they would have won, but it went too easy from back to front with no real protection in there."

"Kovacic I really love – I think he’s done well since he came to Manchester City – but he was more of a dribbler in that game, and he kept getting caught on the ball when they needed that little bit of calm in midfield.”

Kovacic has helped Manchester sit atop the Premier League table as they look to win their fourth title in a row.