It would be safe to say that Chelsea are nowhere near competing for the Premier League right now. That became even more evident at the weekend, as they lost against Arsenal again. This is the third time that they have been on the losing side against their London rivals within the space of two months. They are winless against them in their previous 11 attempts.
That is simply unacceptable. And one can only hope that the club decide to make some statement signings in the summer. They have signed enough wonderkids since the BlueCo takeover. The results have been disappointing. The time has come for a different approach to things.
It remains to be seen if the club agree with that or not. We shall find out in the summer. A lot of fans will be hoping for them to sign another goalkeeper.
For a little while, it had looked like Robert Sanchez had figured things out. Admittedly, he had been one of Chelsea’s best performers early on in the season. But some of the doubts appear to have crept back into his game in recent times. Yes, he has made some big saves. At the same time, there have been some poor moments as well.
Sanchez slammed after Chelsea lose to Arsenal again
Sanchez was one of Chelsea’s worst performers against Arsenal at the weekend. Unfortunately, that is not the first time it has happened this season. He had almost gifted Mikel Arteta’s side the first leg of their League Cup tie earlier in the year with two huge mistakes.
According to The Chelsea Chronicle, Frank LeBouef said while speaking on ESPN: “He’s a very good goalkeeper but we have to stop telling him that he’s capable of playing out from the back. He’s bad from his feet, he scares everybody. I was jumping every time he got the ball. He’s a danger.
“Rosenior should tell him to stop being so easy-going because he doesn’t know what he’s doing on the ball. I was very upset with that. You could see the difference between Sanchez and Raya, it was huge.”
Sanchez’s struggles against Arsenal continue
There can be no doubt about Sanchez’s shot-stopping abilities. That being said, he has his shortcomings. The Spaniard has never been great with the ball at his feet.
It is something that has gotten him and Chelsea in trouble time and again over the years. But the Blues have stuck with their methods for three seasons now. Hopefully, they will try to find a solution in the summer.
Filip Jorgensen is expected to leave in the summer. He has his own problems against physical teams. On the other hand, Mike Penders is currently away on loan and has been highly regarded for years. Could he be the long-term Chelsea number one? Possibly. Will he be given consistent playing time at Stamford Bridge next season? Probably not.
So, if Chelsea do want to replace Sanchez, they might need to find a new number one. Let’s see if they are successful in doing that.
