Chelsea get their UEFA Conference League campaign kicked off on Thursday, as they take on KAA Gent at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian side have won three of their last five games, drawing once, and losing once. Gent have managed to score 11 goals in these past five games, conceding five times.
Enzo Maresca’s men come into this game having won their last four games in all competitions, scoring 13 and only conceding twice in those past four games.
But Chelsea could be set for a whole host of changes, one of them which could see a poor performer from the weekend dropped to the bench.
Why Robert Sanchez needs to be dropped
Cole Palmer stole the show on Saturday afternoon but his teammate Robert Sanchez certainly tried his hardest to make sure the Blues didn’t walk away with all three points.
Given a 2/10 match rating by The Standard, it was an incredibly poor display against his former club, Brighton, despite Chelsea winning 4-2.
Indeed, Sanchez made two big errors, both of which led to goals that very nearly cost the hosts the victory.
One of those mistakes saw the stopper hand the ball straight to Carlos Baleba who was only too happy to oblige and find the back of the net.
On the whole, Sanchez has revived his career at Stamford Bridge, however, managing to keep two clean sheets already this season, with 1-0 and 3-0 victories over Bournemouth and West Ham.
In Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Bournemouth, the gloveman was particularly impressive, saving a penalty, and making seven total saves in the game, putting in one of his best performances since signing.
Chelsea's 8/10 star was just as unplayable as Palmer vs Brighton
He completed six dribbles and won 7 duels
ByJoe Nuttall
Despite that, he is in need of a kick up the backside and potentially some pressure from his goalkeeping colleagues could do the job.
The goalkeeper to replace Sanchez
Chelsea signed 22-year-old Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal over the summer for a fee of around £20.7m. Last campaign, Jorgensen made 37 appearances for the Spanish side, conceding 64 goals, and keeping six clean sheets.
But it isn’t his shot-stopping that stands out. The Danish star is well-known for being good on the ball, comfortable recycling play and passing it around the back during build-up patterns of play.
Jorgensen has already made three appearances for the Blues, starting both of their UECL Qualifiers, and their EFL Cup game against Barrow. In those three fixtures, Jorgensen has conceded twice, and kept two clean sheets.
The 22-year-old has been starting cup competitions, whilst Sanchez starts the Premier League matches, but if Jorgensen continues to impress, and the Spaniard makes more mistakes, the roles could eventually be reversed.
Goals Against
1.44
1.73
Shots on Target Against
4.16
5.59
Saves
2.73
3.89
Save %
69.0%
72.0%
Clean Sheet %
23.8%
16.2%
Passes Attempted
38.3
35.9
Pass Completion %
82.1%
81.1%
The stats tell us Jorgensen faced more shots last season, therefore managing to make more saves, and have a higher save percentage. However, Sanchez did keep more clean sheets, and concede fewer goals per 90, but this can also be attributed to the level of defence in front of him, compared to their summer signing.
The Spain international managed more passes attempted, and a higher pass completion, but again, these metrics must take into account the team he is playing for, Chelsea being a more possession-based side, who had more touches and short passes in their own half than Villarreal last term.
Maresca could turn to Jorgensen in the Premier League soon, if he thinks the 22-year-old is ready, especially if Sanchez has more games like the Brighton one, where two goals came from his mistakes.
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