Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation has taken centre stage following Robert Sanchez’s recent struggles and Djordje Petrovic’s impressive performances on loan at Strasbourg.
While Sanchez continues to falter under pressure at Stamford Bridge, Petrovic has been described as “world class” by Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior.
Sanchez’s latest error came during Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat against Manchester City. In the first half, he spilled a shot into Omar Marmoush’s path, only to be saved by an offside flag.
After the break, his decision-making was punished as he rushed off his line, allowing Erling Haaland to easily loft the ball into an open net.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, however, defended his under-fire goalkeeper. “For sure, he is completely aware he has to do better,” Maresca said after the defeat.
“He was completely aware after the game, he knows perfectly. In this moment, it’s like this.”
Maresca insisted that Sanchez retains his trust despite recent mistakes. “We trust Robert, for sure,” he added. “But in the same moment, as I said, the first one who is completely aware he’s making a mistake is Robert. So for sure, we continue to trust Robert, but now we have one entire week and we see the reaction and then we decide for the next game.”
Meanwhile, Petrovic continues to shine in Ligue 1, helping Strasbourg extend their unbeaten run with a 2-1 win over Lille. Since joining on loan, the 24-year-old has impressed Rosenior, who was full of praise after his latest performance. “We have seen huge progress from Petro,” Rosenior said.
“He is a world-class goalkeeper. We see it every day and it is still paying off today.”
Petrovic, who played 31 games for Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino last season, was deemed surplus to requirements following the summer arrival of Filip Jorgensen. However, his performances in France have reignited debate over whether Chelsea should recall him to compete with Sanchez for the number one spot.
As the pressure mounts on Sanchez, the question remains: will Chelsea stick with their struggling shot-stopper or turn to Petrovic as a potential solution in the future? For now, Maresca remains committed to Sanchez but will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the Serbian’s continued progress abroad.
Sanchez and Maresca are embarazing them self not me as a chelsea fans how can u as a coach still be tell us that ur trust is still with sanchez while is mistakes is costing us point, the earlia he benched him and start using jorgensen the better for us.