Robert Sánchez should return to full training soon after joining our long injury list of late.
Sanchez was playing through the pain with injections, but in the end it was too much and he had to sit for a while.
Djordje Petrovic had not played a single minute for Chelsea since arriving from MLS in the summer, before replacing the injured Sánchez mid-match.
We were all left wondering if perhaps Pochettino didn’t trust the 24-year-old stopper enough to allow him to play in the national cup matches. Or perhaps he was simply trying to build confidence in Robert Sánchez, who is seen as the club’s number one.
Sánchez was signed on the recommendation of Ben Roberts and there remains a belief that he can be the Club’s main number one.
That said, the club has always kept the avenues open and has been searching for goalkeepers as a precaution, but this is a normal search they do for all positions.
Petrovic is highly valued at the club and by those who bought him, and he is only two years younger than Sánchez, something that many people forget: he is no longer what I would call a young player.
He has arrived and done magnificently well so far for Chelsea, but of course it is early days. The pressure, pace and physicality of this league are completely different than anything he’s been used to before. I’m not saying that he won’t continue at the level he has shown, because he seems like a magnificent goalkeeper in all aspects, but there will be more testing moments to come and, just as I won’t rule out a player after three games, we also have to be careful not to overplaying a player or expecting too much after three games.
“It’s like a completely different sport. [in the Premier League]”Petrovic said this weekend. “It’s much faster and you don’t have time to think when you have the ball at your feet.”
Consistency is key in this league and it is very important for Chelsea, and Petrovic will know that he will need to keep his standards high. There will be mistakes, and I’m sure fickle fans will soon turn on him when he makes a couple of them. But from what we’ve seen so far, he certainly looks like a very good goalie.
His shot-stopping is excellent, he has been convincing on crosses, he has great height and good reach, and his decision-making (when to go long and when to go short) has also been very intelligent. He seems good on his feet.
If we play against players on merit, then he really keeps his place. And if he were me personally, he would let him keep his number one spot.
But like I said, Chelsea need consistency and Chelsea need comfort and repeatability, especially at the back. I don’t agree with Arsenal’s (and others’) approach of using two goalkeepers and swapping them around and letting them compete. Competition is good, but I don’t want us to get to a situation where we don’t have a number one goalkeeper, something similar to what happened recently with Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy. I think that just destroys the confidence not only of the goalkeeper, but also of those who play in front of him.
So I’m a bit at odds with what to do when Sanchez returns, and it’s for that reason that I think Pochettino could put Sanchez back as his continued number one. Not that I necessarily agree with that, but I would understand his reasoning IF he does, of course.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
“I just look at the next game and I just want to help the team,” Petrovic said when asked about the competition with Sanchez.
“The decision is not mine, it is the coach’s and that’s it. We push each other and we have good chemistry and that’s what’s important.”
I think Sánchez has had some good games and has actually made some very important saves that have literally earned us points this season. But he still doesn’t convince me or fill me with confidence when he has the ball at his feet.
If today I am asked to choose a starting Chelsea Xl when everyone is fit, I will choose Petrovic. But there are always nuances in situations like this that we must also consider.
