“I can’t lose my job & top4 because of you” “It’s time to use him” — Enzo Maresca reveals why he’s ready to give 22-year-old Chelsea player chance over 27-years-old Chelsea star
Before the match against West Ham, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca faced a difficult choice: he opted to replace Robert Sanchez—who had made several mistakes that proved expensive for the team—with 22-year-old Filip Jorgensen, thus giving him an opportunity to demonstrate his worth. Nonetheless, even with a new goalkeeper, Chelsea’s defensive issues persisted.
It is worth noting that Maresca had previously been part of a significant goalkeeper change involving West Ham at Stamford Bridge. In November 2019, while serving as an assistant coach at Manchester City, he assisted in devising a tactical strategy that frustrated Chelsea, enabling Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham team to secure a 1-0 victory over them. In that match, there was an unexpected switch in the goalkeeper position, with David Martin coming on for Roberto and not conceding any goals.
Fast forward five years, and Maresca tried something similar—this time as Chelsea’s head coach. He decided to drop Sanchez, who had been struggling with errors, and bring in Jorgensen, a young goalkeeper Chelsea signed from Villarreal for £20.7 million. However, this time, the change did not lead to a clean sheet.
Jorgensen wasn’t at fault for the first goal Chelsea conceded. That mistake came from Levi Colwill, whose poor back-pass allowed West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen to score with a clinical finish. Despite the new goalkeeper, Chelsea once again found themselves giving away cheap goals—something that has been a major issue for them this season. In fact, only Aston Villa and Southampton have made more errors leading to goals in the Premier League.
Chelsea fans were eager to see the change in goalkeeper, and when Jorgensen’s name was announced before the match, Stamford Bridge erupted in cheers. Many fans had grown frustrated with Sanchez’s performances, so the change was welcomed.
Jorgensen had some good moments, including confidently catching crosses that Sanchez might have spilled. However, he also showed signs of inexperience. He fumbled one cross, misplaced a pass straight to West Ham under pressure, and almost gifted Danny Ings an open goal from the halfway line. These errors shows that while he has potential, he still has a lot to learn.
Despite Chelsea being linked with Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel in the January transfer window, they chose not to bring in another goalkeeper. But with questions over both Sanchez and Jorgensen, this could be an area they focus on in the summer.
The reality is that Sanchez has not proven to be a top-level goalkeeper, and now Jorgensen has his chance to prove he can handle the pressure of being Chelsea’s number one. Maresca has shown that he is willing to make tough decisions, but whether this switch will solve Chelsea’s problems remains to be seen.
Maresca has explained the decision to drop Sanchez, telling Sky Sports: “It’s always a hard decision to leave out players, especially in this case the keeper, it is not an easy one but I assessed it during the week. The good thing is that we have two good keepers so we make the decision to change and we are happy with that.”
Asked about Sanchez’s reaction, Maresca said: “I spoke with him a few days ago, he’s now also tried to help Filip so everything is fine.”
For now, the young goalkeeper has the opportunity to prove himself. But if Chelsea’s defensive mistakes continue, the club may have no choice but to look for a more experienced option in the summer.