It is claimed that he has done that, particularly with the club’s young players, behind the scenes and he has undoubtedly helped his former City team-mate Cole Palmer quickly settle. But there has been little evidence of it on the pitch or in the public eye.
It is a curious fact that Chelsea’s captain’s armband has been passed around players such as Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill, but has not yet reached Sterling. And it has been those players who have largely been left to front up disappointing performances with the media.
Asked about Sterling’s influence, Pochettino said: “He’s doing really well for the team and the good thing is whether he plays or he doesn’t play, he is always positive, always helping and that’s very important for an experienced player like him. It’s important to have a player like that in the project when you have young players.”
Brilliant moments on the pitch have become more fleeting
Sterling might not have ever played for Pochettino had he shown any interest in an eye-watering offer from Saudi Arabia at the end of last season. It is believed that he would have been within the top three best-paid players after Cristiano Ronaldo, but he had no interest in calling it quits at Chelsea after one troublesome campaign.
Quite the opposite, in fact, as Sterling hired a performance coach and spent time at Harlequins rugby club and Camberley Judo Club to improve his fitness and the results were encouraging during the opening weeks and months of this season.
Sterling perhaps hit his peak in the 4-4 draw with his former club City at Stamford Bridge in November and Pochettino will no doubt recall how he terrorised Kyle Walker when he picks his team for Saturday’s trip to the Etihad.
Unfortunately, the brilliant moments have been more fleeting since the last City game and have also come against Championship opposition – Preston North End and Middlesbrough. He has not scored in the league since the heavy loss away at Newcastle United and, along with the rest of the team, struggled badly in the defeats to Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which resulted in the jeers.
Sterling has never been the darling of any crowd he has played in front of and the way in which he stepped off the substitutes’ bench to help set up Chelsea’s vital second goal against Crystal Palace underlined his ability to bounce back.
He will be desperate to start in the final of the Carabao Cup against Liverpool at Wembley a week on Sunday, but it might need another brilliant display against City for Sterling to be confident of doing so.
And nobody could say with any certainty whether Boehly will ever get to see the player he told Sterling he was during that infamous dressing room pep-talk.