Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez may not be in the headlines tonight but was praised by the former Blues man.
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Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is often first to be criticised for his performances between the sticks but the shot-stopper was praised for his efforts against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.
The goalkeeping situation at Chelsea has proven a persistent headache for Enzo Maresca since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Sanchez’s career with the Blues has been plagued by high profile mistakes with suggestions this summer that the Chelsea boss wanted new blood in goal.
The London outfit had been linked with a move for AC Milan star Mike Maignan before the Club World Cup but those negotiations fell through. After that, Maresca was adamant that he was happy with his current goalkeepers but that statement seemed somewhat unconvincing.
Robert Sanchez rated 9/10 for Tottenham Hotspur showing
Sanchez has held down the number one spot and his outing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was one of his best in a Chelsea shirt. The 27-year-old helped his side to a clean sheet against Spurs in a big three points for Maresca’s side.
LondonWorld rated the Spaniard a 9/10 for his almost pitch-perfect performance. Even though relatively untested by Spurs shots, it was an imposing performance at the back for Chelsea. We wrote: “Chelsea need this Robert Sanchez every week. Confident when collecting crosses. Some good distribution too, but not really tested by a toothless Tottenham.”
Joao Pedro got the goal for Chelsea which made all the difference while Moises Caicedo was his usual self in the centre of the park with a bulldoggish performance. However, speaking after the game, former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge singled out Sanchez for praise.
He said: “We talk about Tottenham’s set pieces before the game and that was one of the main ways they score goals this season. Between the crosses that he was put under tonight, he imposed himself, used his size and strength, wasn’t getting bullied into certain areas that he didn’t want to be in. I thought he was exemplary on the crosses today, came for everything and set Chelsea off on counter attacks.”
Joao Pedro returns to goalscoring form against Spurs
It’ll be a big confidence boost for Sanchez as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast, but the Chelsea goalkeeper wasn’t the only one to turn heads in north London. Pedro ended his goal drought with a tidy finish and was a constant goal threat for Chelsea.
The Blues forked out £60 million to sign Pedro from Brighton this summer and the forward had got off to a flyer with two goals and two assists in the opening three matches. The Brazilian then went without a league goal into this weekend.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Sturridge said: “They’ve got exciting players, it’s about all coming together. Tonight shows what they could get to, it could have been three of four tonight. The team is building on the block that the manager has given them, they’ve got momentum now. We’re looking at a team building in confidence, the football they played tonight will make them feel good.
“If that doesn’t give him confidence, I don’t know what will. The amount of opportunities he had to score and his movements off the ball, I thought his positioning all over the pitch was very good.”
In other news, Tottenham Player Ratings: 2/10 'not at races' and 'sloppy' 4 as Chelsea cruise to victory.