Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca dismisses suggestions that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is under pressure to retain his place between the sticks for Premier League games.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has suggested that Robert Sanchez is not in danger of losing his place in the starting lineup.
Upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Maresca quickly made the decision to view Sanchez as his number one ahead of Djordje Petrovic.
The latter has since left for Strasbourg for the season, determined to impress the Blues head coach, with Sanchez having been selected for the club’s opening six matches in the Premier League.
Although Sanchez has kept two clean sheets and made a vital penalty save in a game against Bournemouth, he has looked far from assured between the sticks.
Most notably, mistakes have been made when attempting to start attacks, a known trait for goalkeepers playing under Maresca to the extent where the Italian is prepared to accept errors.
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Is Jorgensen pushing for Premier League chance?
There is an argument that Sanchez was at fault for each of Brighton & Hove Albion’s goals in a 4-2 victory for Chelsea last weekend.
As a result, Filip Jorgensen may have theoretically been in contention to replace the Spaniard for Sunday’s game with Nottingham Forest should he make a positive impact versus Gent in the Europa Conference League.
Instead, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Maresca has hinted that Sanchez remains his undisputed number one for the time being.
He said: “Filip has to do well because we need him doing well, not because he has to put pressure on Robert.
“Also, because I said after the game, usually we like to see the end part of the thing and that was a Robert mistake but the mistake started with Malo [Gusto] because we conceded a chance and then we conceded a goal.
“It is not Robert’s or Malo’s problem. We will make some mistakes. I don’t think Filip needs to put pressure on Robert. We need him to play a good game because the team needs that.”
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How has Jorgensen fared so far?
Jorgensen gave up a regular spot in the Villarreal XI to move to Chelsea aware that he would begin his Blues stint at second choice.
Clean sheets have been kept in the first leg of the Europa Conference League playoff with Servette and the EFL Cup third round tie versus Barrow.
On a negative note, the 22-year-old was at fault for one of Servette’s goal in the reverse fixture. Nevertheless, Jorgensen is in line to start against Gent on Thursday, as well as the other cup fixtures that will be played during the first half of the season.
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