Chelsea are just days away from kicking off their 2025/26 season. However, Troy Deeney still has major concerns about one Blues player and his ability.
The Blues begin in the Premier League with a London derby against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Chelsea’s record on Premier League opening days is pretty average, so can Enzo Maresca’s side get off to a quick start on Sunday at Stamford Bridge?
They go into the match off the back of a very condensed pre-season because of their involvement in the Club World Cup. Chelsea beat Bayer Leverkusen (Friday) and AC Milan (Sunday) in friendlies last week, where the squad looked sharp despite their recent return.
Chelsea's players in a huddle before the pre-season friendly against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Troy Deeney raises concern about Robert Sanchez
Troy Deeney, the former Premier League striker, has admitted that Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, 27, still worries him ahead of the new season. In particular, he felt the Spanish gloveman should have done much better with his positioning when he conceded against Youssouf Fofana in Chelsea’s 4-1 season win against Milan.
Deeney told talkSPORT: “I’m still seriously worried about Sanchez. I know he had a wonderful Club World Cup. If you see the goal against AC Milan, his positioning is all over the place. That’s a near-post shot. I think he should save it.
“I think there’s a real weird place with Sanchez because he’s shown you what he can do, but we’ve seen over the course of his body of work that he’s going to let you down in big moments.”
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Even though Sanchez’s passing was impressive against Milan, perhaps he could have done better with the goal he conceded. The reality is that he’s a player who’s still got plenty of doubters due to inconsistent form during his first two years in West London.
Minutes played Saves Goals conceded Accurate passes Accurate long balls Aerial duels won Match rating
90 3 1 16/18 (89%) 4/6 (67%) 1/1 (100%) 6.9
Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez vs AC Milan via FOTMOB
In fairness, he should take confidence from the fact that it looks like he’s about to begin the new season as the starting goalkeeper again.
Jamie Carragher suggests Chelsea must replace Sanchez to become realistic challengers for the Premier League. If he can piece everything together, he’s got all the tools to be a world-class keeper. Will he become that for Maresca’s side, though?
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during the pre-season friendly against AC Milan.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Robert Sanchez has Chelsea’s backing
For now, Chelsea appear to be sticking behind Sanchez and giving him another shot to prove himself in net.
Chelsea are sticking with Sanchez as their starting goalkeeper for the 2025/26 season, with Filip Jorgensen covering as his understudy. Hopefully, he can repay the faith shown by the club and Maresca to deliver his best year yet for the Blues.
At the Club World Cup, Sanchez was magnificent, especially in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. He finished the final months of the Premier League campaign, too.
We understand that there are going to be question marks over Sanchez for the foreseeable future because of his past performances, but he’s still got an opportunity to prove all his doubters wrong.