Mauricio Pochettino reveals he 'hated' Raheem Sterling as opposition manager
- Mauricio Pochettino and Raheem Sterling have joined forces at Chelsea
- Argentine admitted 'hating' the forward as an opposition manager
- Sterling has rediscovered his form under Pochettino this season
By Sean Walsh
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he would 'hate' trying to come up with plans to foil Raheem Sterling while manager of the opposition.
Pochettino first came up against Sterling while in charge of Southampton and when the winger was still making his name at Liverpool. The Argentine coach joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, with the England international heading to Manchester City one year later.
Spurs and Man City enjoyed some fascinating duels throughout the 2010s, with the pinnacle of their battles coming in the quarter-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League.
Tottenham would prevail on away goals, with the tie ending 4-4 on aggregate. Sterling scored an impressive brace in the second leg but was famously denied a hat-trick in stoppage time by VAR.
Pochettino also encountered Sterling's Man City during PSG's 2020/21 and 2021/22 Champions League campaigns.
After signing for Chelsea last summer, Sterling failed to hit the heights expected of him during his debut season, but looks reborn under Pochettino's guidance.
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Speaking to BBC Sport, Pochettino discussed how Sterling's premier skillset made him 'hate' coming up against the winger.
"We arrived to Southampton or Tottenham and he was playing at Liverpool and then [Man] City. He was always a player that we said, 'we hate [you] because you are fast, you are [good] one-v-one, you score goals, give assists'," Pochettino said of Sterling.
"I said, 'now you are in our side, please, I want to enjoy you, you know your game, I'm going to enjoy how you score and run'. And I think he laughed, and I said, 'yes, we are going to try to help you to perform again at your best'. But he deserves the credit."
Sterling has scored twice in Chelsea's opening three matches this season and will be out to find the net again at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
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