“It is his turn now”—Enzo maresca says as he reveals reason why Filip Jorgensen Replaces Robert Sanchez

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made a tough decision ahead of their game against West Ham—dropping Robert Sanchez after a series of costly mistakes and giving 22-year-old Filip Jorgensen his chance to prove himself. However, despite the change in Goalkeeper, Chelsea’s defensive problems continued.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Maresca had been involved in a major goalkeeper switch against West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Back in November 2019, when he was an assistant coach at Manchester City, he helped Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham side defeat Chelsea 1-0 by constructing a tactical plan that frustrated the Blues. That game also saw a surprise change in Goalkeeper, with David Martin replacing Roberto and keeping a clean sheet.

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.

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.