It’s not often a new manager takes the reins with a semi-final looming. Yet four days on from his gentle aperitif against Charlton in the FA Cup, Liam Rosenior strode out of the tight Stamford Bridge tunnel for a final four two-legged showdown against England’s, and currently Europe’s, best outfit. With Arsenal in town, it was an evening for senior stars to make a statement.
Enter Robert Sanchez. Drafted in for his first Carabao Cup appearance of the season – ahead of domestic cup keeper Filip Jorgensen – this was a night to forget, perhaps even write off, for Chelsea’s No 1 goalkeeper. Well, at least No 1 for now.
While Arsenal will feel this tie should be out of sight, there is another way to glance at the glass. Put simply: without Sanchez’s errors, Chelsea would at least be level. The Spaniard’s first mistake came when he limply flailed his hands at a corner, which Ben White dutifully nodded home. His second, far more calamitous, expertly deviated the ball to Viktor Gyokeres’s path from a cross which, in spite of the slippery surface on a wet night in west London, was a comfortable one to gather.
And in the heated cauldron that is the Chelsea manager’s hotseat, there was no placid opening salvo here. Sanchez was the first port of call for Rosenior in his first post-match press conference at the Bridge and, in a tone which may well be repeated in the weeks ahead, the defence of his player was staunch.
“I’m asking Rob to do things that he hasn’t done before,” Rosenior said. “I said to him before the game, and I made this really clear, when my players make mistakes, I’m accountable. That’s on me.
“That’s Rob’s first game with me, I’ve had two days’ work with him. I have to put my imprint on the team. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to do that to the detriment of the results, but I need to make sure we win now, but we keep improving for where we want to get to this season. It’s a very fine margin.”
How fine a line Rosenior wants to juggle may well dictate his early fortunes. Nonetheless, irrespective of his commendable words to the media, Sanchez’s first impression on a new boss was utterly unconvincing.
It was only seven minutes in when Sanchez was all too weak with bodies around him. Joao Pedro’s marking of White was non-existent, sure, but within the melee of the six-yard box – particularly given Arsenal’s unstoppable set-piece prowess – the goalkeeper must be the dominant force. Sanchez, however, was meekly cast aside in the aerial duel.
Chelsea fans, of course, will know this is nothing new. Last season, Sanchez committed five critical errors leading to goals, the most of any player in the Premier League.
Yet more so than this error, what emerged as the first-half progressed was Sanchez’s genuine difficulties with the ball at his feet. Repeatedly, the Chelsea fans voiced their exasperation as the Blues goalkeeper and his two centre-backs, Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah, timidly passed the ball to one another with no purpose or pace whatsoever. On numerous occasions, they escaped Arsenal’s high press by the skin of their teeth.
And as the second-half progressed, beyond Sanchez inexplicably letting the ball squirm beneath him from White’s cross for Gyokeres’ goal, frustration boiled over on the terraces. “Stop f****** about with it!” was not so much a plea as it was a point-blank instruction.
Sanchez did make a terrific late stop from Mikel Merino, keeping Chelsea in the tie, but even in the dying seconds, he seemed somewhat clueless as to his role in Chelsea’s build-up play from the back. He’ll have to learn – and if he wants to stay in the team, he’ll have to learn fast.
What is of fascination is what route Rosenior takes from here. Strasbourg, a club within the sphere of Chelsea’s BlueCo owners, have thrived this season with 20-year-old Belgian Mike Penders in goal. No prizes for guessing which club he is on loan from.
That may well be a solution for the summer. Right now, Rosenior has a big call to make on his man in between the sticks. His words imply he will stick, for now.
“There are a lot of positives in Rob’s performance,” he added. “What you’ll know with me is I protect my players. I’m asking him to do things. If he makes a mistake, doing what I’m asking him to do, that’s on me.
“I have a lot of faith that in the long term, we’ll improve as a team with the messages that we’re giving him in all the plays. My job is to help them, not to blame them.”
But will Sanchez be the man in goal for the return leg at the Emirates in three weeks? Or, more pertinently, back here against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday? Frankly, don’t be stunned if he’s not.
