Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a “silly decision” in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the weekend.
That is according to talkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend.
It looked like the Blues were coasting to three Premier League points during Saturday’s game at home to Arsenal, with goals from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk putting them into a two-goal lead. Unfortunately, a collapse in the final 15 minutes meant they chucked away the win.
The chain reaction of Chelsea’s late collapse came when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gifted Declan Rice a shot at any empty net after his misplaced pass. Afterwards, Leandro Trossard netted an equaliser for the visitors at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea blame
Andy Townsend does actually pin quite a lot of blame at the door of Chelsea’s keeper after his error at the weekend.
It’s not the first time that the £25million gloveman (BBC) has made a mistake with the ball at his feet this season.
“I was very impressed with the Chelsea performance for 70 minutes until Sanchez made that silly decision for reasons only better known to him. When you’re 2-0 up against a very good team, you make a daft decision like that, and you hand Arsenal a lifeline,” Townsend told talkSPORT (8:39pm, 24 October)
“With 20 minutes to go, you’re thinking there is no way Chelsea aren’t going to win that match, but they let it slip through their fingers because of that daft decision by the goalkeeper. It was stupid.”
Robert Sanchez predicament
There’s now some increased pressure on Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper after a mistake in a high-profile fixture against Arsenal.
The 25-year-old Spaniard has been a relative success so far during his debut season at Stamford Bridge, joining in the summer from league rivals Brighton.
But there’s certainly a weakness in his game now when it comes to passing.
If the Blues want to be a side that builds from the back under Mauricio Pochettino, Sanchez simply has to tighten up that area of his game. In fairness, he’s got most other areas covered when it comes to being a solid shot-stopper.
It’s pretty obvious that the Blues will persist with this method, so it’s sink or swim for the keeper. This is because journalist Alex Crook told talkSPORT’s ‘PL All Access’ show that Sanchez was being barked orders from Chelsea’s goalkeeper coach moments before the mistake for kicking the ball long.
