“That is competition and we will improve” – Chelsea boss Pochettino on whether Robert Sanchez or Kepa will start against Liverpool

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has addressed questions about who among Robert Sanchez and Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in their Premier League opener against Liverpool.

The Blues are set to lock horns with the Reds in their opening league fixture of the 2023/24 campaign on Sunday (13 August). The club secured Sanchez's services for £25 million from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer.

When asked about whether Sanchez will start against Liverpool this weekend, the Argentine tactician said in a pre-match press conference (as quoted by football.london):

"It's going to be very good competition. We needed to sign another. The club followed him for a long period and was a good opportunity for the club to sign him, and a good challenge for Kepa also. Kepa is three, four weeks with us, is a little bit ahead of him. For the players not going to play they need to fight to catch their teammates playing in their place. That is competition and we will improve."

The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager added:

"Chelsea have two very good keepers and excellent keepers to fight for the position. They are clever enough, they are very mature. They know they are going to fight to be No. 1. With time we will see if Robert is there and can challenge Kepa."

It remains to be seen who will start between the sticks for the Blues this weekend.

"No excuses for us" - Mauricio Pochettino claims Chelsea are 'more in transition' than Liverpool

Chelsea have seen major changes after Todd Boehly and a consortium of investors took over the club last summer. The Blues witnessed multiple incoming and outgoings in terms of the squad and the managerial department.

The west London outfit had three different coaches at the helm during the 2022/23 campaign and spent in excess of £600 million over the course of two transfer windows.

Pochettino believes the Blues are currently in a transitionary period, more so than Liverpool, who had a poor season last year. The Reds finished fifth in the standings, losing out on a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Ahead of the Liverpool clash, the Argentine boss said:

"I think we are more in transition than Liverpool. I am new here and Klopp is for how long in Liverpool? 7 years. You can anticipate a transition, you can see what is going to come, you can be ahead of the problems. I think it's being clever in how you anticipate the situation."

However, Pochettino admitted that as manager of a big club like Chelsea, he cannot make any excuses and must bounce back this season. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss added:

"Of course, we are Chelsea, the history of the club is to win. We cannot give the message that we are in transition, we need to be ready to win and we are going to be ready to win vs Liverpool even if they are a really good team. I'm not going to accept a different way to think. No excuses for us because we need to be strong and we have very good players who can fight in the best way."