Maresca slammed for 'terrible' Chelsea decision

Cameron Smith

25 Nov 2024 12:00 GMT
6 min read

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has been labelled as a “massive problem” for the Blues amid his concerning recent form.

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The Spaniard lost his place to Djordje Petrovic under Mauricio Pochettino last season, but Enzo Maresca has reinstated the 27-year-old as Chelsea’s number one goalkeeper so far this campaign.

Maresca has also insisted that Sanchez will not be usurped by summer signing Filip Jorgensen in between the sticks, with the Chelsea head coach happy with his performances this term.

However, Sanchez has already made three errors leading to a goal in 2024-25, the joint-most of any Premier League player, while he has conceded two penalties and was a shaky presence during their win over Leicester City on Saturday.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes Chelsea are good enough to compete for the Premier League title in the next few years, but he expects the Blues to be let down by Maresca's insistence to stick with Sanchez.

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What has been said?

“Chelsea are looking good,” O’Hara told talkSPORT after their 2-1 win over Leicester this weekend.

“They're still a bit shaky at the back. Sanchez, the goalkeeper, is a massive problem. He’s terrible.

“But they look good overall. With the quality and the players they’ve got, they will always produce moments.

“Nicolas Jackson is on fire and proving people wrong too. He’s turning into a really good striker. They’ve got talent all over the park. They’re not a million miles off it now are they?”

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Robert Sánchez

Chelsea

Robert Sánchez

Chelsea

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O’Hara continued: “The issue they’ve got is Sanchez. Teams that win the league don’t have a bad goalkeeper. When you look at title winners, they all have one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

“That’s the issue they have and they have to address that situation in January by buying a top, top goalkeeper.

“They are hard to find, don’t get me wrong, but Sanchez is a problem for Chelsea.”

Despite Sanchez’s poor form so far this season, recent reports suggest that Chelsea will not sign a replacement in 2025, with the club eager to develop Mike Penders into their first-choice goalkeeper upon his arrival from KRC Genk.