Solving the goalkeeping problem wasn’t the number one priority for new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, but it was high on the list.
“Obviously, the way we want to play, the goalkeeper is very, very important,” the Italian said after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Wrexham in their first pre-season game. “It’s one of the key positions.”
Usually when a new manager comes in he brings in the players he wants through the transfer market and Chelsea have done just that by signing Philipp Jorgensen from Villarreal.
But Jorgensen doesn’t seem to be the answer yet. Despite the money invested in a new face, Robert Sanchez is reported to start the new season as Chelsea’s number one goalkeeper. Chelsea want Jorgensen to come in as a backup, but they expect him to be able to compete with Sanchez.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (right) is set to start the season as the No.1 goalkeeper.
It seems like a surprise to be joining Sanchez from the start. The Spaniard had a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge last season, looking unconvincing at the start of the campaign and injuries derailing his campaign.
Injuries, coupled with the impressive performances of substitute Djordje Petrovic, meant Sanchez made his last appearance of the season in early December. But thanks to the new manager, he is now back in the starting lineup.
Maresca’s particular goalkeeping style is not that of a traditional goalkeeper, but rather closer to that of an outfield player.
The best way to see what Maresca wants is to look at his time at Leicester last season. Maresca signed Mads Hermansen as his first-choice goalkeeper and was wanted by Chelsea this summer, but the Foxes matched the Blues’ transfer fee.
Hermansen is not just a shot-stopper who plays between the goal posts. Last season he was tasked with stepping into the back four and acting as another defender in the build-up. The Danish goalkeeper effectively moved out of the net and temporarily acted as an outfield player.
Enzo Maresca deployed Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen as an extra centre-back in the build-up play.
Chelsea did not have that option last season given how deep and traditional Petrovic was in the side, which may explain why the Serb is considered over-required at Stamford Bridge ahead of the new season.
But the same could not be said of Sanchez, as he fit the criteria of a Maresca goalkeeper based on his profile.
Despite a tough season with injuries, the 26-year-old had more touches, more passes and fewer errors than teammate Petrovic, and he looked a little more comfortable on the ball.
that much The Spaniard played slightly higher than Petrovic last season, but it was a small difference. But that difference could have been key to the new Chelsea manager’s decision-making.
Even then, Sanchez had always been a ‘classy goalkeeper’ since he was a youngster. When Brighton’s then-recruitment chief Mark Anderson went to Spain to scout him, he was one of the first things he noticed.
“He was 100 per cent like that extra centre-back and extra defender,” Anderson said. Sky Sports. “People sometimes forget that they are one of the only players who sees the other 21 players in front of them. Other people don’t see that.
“Robert plays properly. A big part of his game is playing with his feet. Modern goalkeepers rarely touch the ball with their hands unless it’s a cross or a shot-stop. And even then, they stop the ball with some part of their body.
“He plays with a centre-back mentality, or even a right-back or left-back mentality. He can go either way: right, left, centre, long or short. He’s versatile and can adapt to it.”
And Sanchez himself knows why he is now Maresca’s first choice. “It’s a different style. A goalkeeper here has to have ‘a pair’ and show a bit of personality. I think I’m the right man for the job,” he said. Talksport this month.
“(It’s) about being a little bit different from a normal goalkeeper. You need to have a little bit of arrogance, you need to get on the ball, you need to show a little bit, you need to ‘pair’ as I say and show a little bit of quality.”
“I’ve seen Robert throw the ball to Penny and he reads the play really early,” Anderson added. “But he’s still developing, and like any goalkeeper, he makes mistakes.” And that’s where the biggest problem lies.
Any mistake in playing from the back is likely to be punished, and Sanchez himself knows it well. His sloppy pass against Arsenal in October was intercepted by Declan Rice and headed home, as the Gunners came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Chelsea last season.
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Robert Sanchez made a huge mistake by allowing Declan Rice to score during Arsenal’s match against Chelsea.
That mistake was his only one that led to a goal last season, but the same goalkeeper was pushed out by Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, as Jason Steele was better at passing under pressure. Other tense moments, including the 4-1 defeat to Celtic, have been posted on social media.
That’s where new signing Jorgensen could come in. The 22-year-old, who ranks third among La Liga goalkeepers in passes completed, could be used as a backup if Sanchez’s woes return.
But while Sanchez knows the dangers of ball-playing, so does Maresca. His Chelsea side gifted Wrexham two goals from back-to-back plays in his first pre-season game in charge, but the Italian is adamant about his philosophy.
“It’s one of the dangers of trying to build up from the back,” he said when asked about Chelsea’s conceded goals. “I think you concede goals in different ways, so you have to decide how you concede goals.
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Highlights from Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against Wrexham.
“Sometimes teams that try to defend from the back concede goals, but I think they score more goals than they concede.”
And even then, Sanchez is not the only player to have embraced Maresca’s style of strategy. Last week, the Italian accused his entire team of being “confused” as they tried to adopt the philosophy.
Like most modern managers, Maresca is prepared to field 11 outfield players rather than 10 at Chelsea, and Sanchez will be as involved as ever in putting the ball into one goal as he is in the other.
In reality, saving the ball is secondary to being able to play effectively with your feet. After all, Jorgensen arrived at Stamford Bridge with more saves than any LaLiga goalkeeper. Even then, he faced the most shots, and Sanchez’s numbers are similar.
The goalkeeper starts the attacking plan from the back, which explains why all the recent Premier League success stories have started after the number one goalkeeper situation was resolved.
Manchester City won the title under Pep Guardiola after the arrival of Ederson in 2017, while Liverpool emerged as a major force a year later with the arrival of Alisson Becker. Arsenal’s development skyrocketed after the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya.
So it’s no surprise that Maresca is tackling this issue as he begins his Chelsea revolution.
