- Robert Sanchez was dropped after making a number of high-profile mistakes
- Chelsea take on Arsenal in a massive London derby on Sunday afternoon
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Why the League Cup final is Newcastle’s to lose
Enzo Maresca will bring back Robert Sanchez as Chelsea’s No 1 for their Sunday showdown with Arsenal in the Premier League.
Sanchez had been relegated to second choice behind Filip Jorgensen, though it can now be confirmed that was only a temporary demotion.
Maresca felt the 27-year-old Spaniard needed time out of the limelight following several high-profile mistakes, such as in their 3-1 loss at Manchester City in January when he rushed out of his box to allow Erling Haaland to score from a chance that originally carried a xG worth 0.03.
That error in particular saw Jorgensen brought in for their following Premier League matches amid widespread criticism of Sanchez.
Now mentally recharged, Maresca feels Sanchez is ready to return, and the Blues boss does not intend on changing his goalkeeper for the remainder of the campaign amid their hunt for Champions League qualification.
‘I thought Robert needed some days off, to rest with his head, mentally,’ Maresca confirmed to reporters ahead of facing Arsenal. ‘Now he is back and hopefully we are not going to change until the end.’
Robert Sanchez was dropped after a number of high-profile errors in goal for Chelsea
Enzo Maresca admitted that the decision was made to allow Sanchez to ‘rest his head’
Filip Jorgensen was in to replace Sanchez but is set to drop back to the bench this weekend
Meanwhile, Maresca says the gap between Chelsea and Arsenal is still ‘quite big’, despite only six points separating them in the Premier League table.
‘The reason why is because they are working with the same manager for five years, so the difference is quite important,’ Maresca said. ‘With the same players, they have already played some important games.
‘Our target, our duty, is to close that gap between us and them. In this moment, the table says the difference is six points, so we are quite close, but we still have nine games to go.
‘In this moment we have two targets. That is to finish in the top four or top five for Champions League and the other one is the Conference League. This club used to play finals and fight for titles, so if we are able to give to the fans, to the club, again this chance to fight for a title, it’s important for us.’
Chelsea have won their last four games in all competitions are a winter blip, but are now welcoming back stars such as Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, both of whom will be available to take on Arsenal.
