The Incident: Chelsea vs Wolves Match
On the 20th of January 20, 2025 Chelsea played Wolverhampton Wanderers in an important Premier League match. The game concluded with a victory of 3-1 for Chelsea and was an important victory that ended a 5-game losing streak and helped propel Chelsea to the top four teams in the Premier League. The game did not go without controversy. mostly because of a major error made by Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
The Goalkeeping Error
During the game, Robert Sanchez made a significant error that resulted in Wolves scoring a goal equal to their opponents. The error was made in the event that Sanchez failed to control the ball in the corner kick, which allowed Wolves’ Matt Doherty to benefit and score. The error was especially important because it was Sanchez’s fourth mistake that led to an goal this season, which tied his record with that of the Ipswich’s Arijanet Muric for the highest number of these errors during the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s Defense of Robert Sanchez
Enzo Maresca who was appointed Chelsea’s coach in June 3rd 2024, has been open in his defense of Robert Sanchez following the error. Maresca’s support of his goalkeeper was apparent in numerous remarks made during post-match interviews.
- “Fourth mistake leading to a goal? And how many times has he saved us? I think more than four. No problem”
- “You said it was the fourth mistake [leading to a goal]? How many times did he save us? More than four, so no problem”
- “How many times has he saved us? Robert is doing well”
- “You said fourth mistake? And how many times has he saved us? More than four”
These remarks collectively show Maresca’s unwavering loyalty to Sanchez in a way that emphasizes Sanchez’s contributions to the team are greater than his flaws. This is a clear indication of Maresca’s leadership style, which is focused on maintaining confidence in players and team morale when faced with public criticism.
Robert Sanchez: Performance and Statistics
To place Maresca’s defense and the incident in perspective, it’s essential to look at the overall performance of Robert Sanchez for the season currently in play:
- Sanchez has joined Chelsea after leaving Brighton & Hove Albion at the beginning of August 2023.
- He has appeared in 24 games with Chelsea in the current season amassing 2336 minutes of playing time on the field.
- Sanchez has kept free sheets throughout the Premier League
- He has scored 24 goals, which is averaging 1.20 goals against for every 90 minutes
- His save rate is impressive at 78.0 percent, placing him at 96th percentile of goalkeepers.
- Sanchez was a victim of 5 penalties and has escaped one penalty, which gives him a penalty of 20% save rate.
- He is averaging 2.10 defensive moves for 90 minutes in the penalty area, and is at 95th percentile
- His completion rate for passes is 70%. His long ball accuracy is 28.7%. the accuracy of his long ball being 28.7 percent.
- Sanchez has committed four errors which led to goals this season.
These figures provide a picture of the goalkeeper who, despite his mistakes, is consistently performing at a high standard in all areas of the game. His high save percentage as well as defense actions outside of the penalty zone demonstrate his ability to stop shots and his an active approach to goalkeeping.
Media Reactions
There has been a lot of media scathing of Sanchez’s performance, especially focussing on the frequentity of his mistakes this season. While acknowledging that Maresca’s defensive style is acceptable from a managerial point of view some sources have suggested that it isn’t enough to excuse the mistakes that were made by goalie. The scrutiny of Sanchez is heightened due to the prominent nature of his job at a club such as Chelsea.
