Pat Nevin noticed Hakim Ziyech and Raheem Sterling both receive a frosty reception from Chelsea’s away fans on Saturday afternoon at Bournemouth.
It was a great weekend for Chelsea’s interim boss Frank Lampard, who finally ended a run of six consecutive defeats across all competitions.
The Blues are now mathematically safe from Premier League relegation after securing a 3-1 away victory at Bournemouth. Conor Gallagher, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix were all on the scoresheet for the visitors.
There’s been very little to cheer about during a turbulent year at Stamford Bridge, but they’ve now got four games left in the season to try build some momentum for the next campaign.
Speaking after the win over Bournemouth, Nevin has highlighted the response from the travelling Chelsea supporters towards two of their players.
Hakim Ziyech and Raheem Sterling were both substituted on during the second-half, which received a really negative response from the fanbase.
In fairness, the Blues attackers responded very well with an assist each to help earn three league points.
“It is also worth not ducking the fact two players didn’t get the best reception from some of the travelling fans when they came off the bench down on the South Coast,” Nevin wrote on the club’s official website.
“Hakim Ziyech and Raheem Sterling should not take this too personally. It is no more than fans demanding and expecting more from two players who have shown in the past they have real quality, specifically in those creative areas I have been talking about. They may have struggled to be at their best this season but in these circumstances, you can react in two ways. You can go in a huff and feel you are not being ‘respected’ or you can get out there and show that you can be creative and that you are still a quality player.
“Hopefully the assists from both players on the day to win the game was a sign of the right reactions, but it is an attitude that has to be shown every single week and every time you pull on that shirt.”
We predict 30-year-old winger Ziyech will no longer be a Chelsea player next season, so we can understand if fans are frustrated that he keeps getting minutes.
Journalist Paul Brown has told GiveMeSport that Ziyech is fully aware he doesn’t have a future at Chelsea.
As for Sterling, he only joined the Blues last summer. The 28-year-old wide player hasn’t lived up to expectation during his debut season, though.
Hopefully, the England international can be more settled during his second season in Chelsea colours and find top gear.