Enzo Maresca made no attempt to hide his frustration at having to answer a question about Chelsea’s goalkeeper situation, but he surely saw it coming.
Chelsea got away with the error-strewn performance of Robert Sanchez in Saturday’s meeting with Brighton thanks to Cole Palmer’s four-goal haul, yet Maresca will know that any criticism of Sanchez this season arrives at his door, too.
The Italian, after all, was responsible for restoring Sanchez to his previous status as Chelsea’s No1.
Sanchez was directly at fault for both of Brighton’s goals on Saturday. Little wonder, then, that Maresca was asked whether Filip Jorgensen, who will start on Thursday against Gent, can use the Conference League as a springboard to eventually replacing Sanchez in the Blues’ Premier League XI.
“Filip has to do well because we need him doing well, not because he has to put pressure on Robert,” a defiant Maresca said in his press conference ahead of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge opener.
“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.”
One of the goals Sanchez gave up against Brighton was from a poor pass out despite the fact that he was brought back into the fold on the perceived notion that he is a better distributor than Djordje Petrovic — Chelsea’s No1 last season but now shipped out on loan to Strasbourg.
Poor passing from Sanchez is only going to invite probing questions about Maresca’s decision-making, and the club have no track record of sticking by goalkeepers in recent years. It has been an unsettled position ever since Edouard Mendy lost his place under Graham Potter in the back end of 2022.
The inability of others to keep hold of the No1 shirt will have been part of what attracted Jorgensen to the challenge at Chelsea when the 22-year-old agreed to leave Villarreal for Stamford Bridge in July. So, too, was reuniting with his former Villarreal team-mate and friend Nicolas Jackson.
Whatever Maresca says, showing his worth in Europe will see the clamour grow for Jorgensen to be promoted ahead of Sanchez
Jorgensen is yet to feature in the league but played in both legs of Chelsea’s Conference League play-off tie against Servette, before returning to the team in last week’s 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Barrow. Thursday’s meeting with Gent is a step up in the quality of opposition he has faced.
Whatever Maresca says, showing his worth in Europe will see the clamour grow for Jorgensen to be promoted ahead of Sanchez, especially if the Spaniard makes further errors with big games against Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal all on the horizon.
For Jorgensen, just as for all of Chelsea’s second string, the Conference League is not a nuisance but rather a platform to impress.
