“They know the situation” - Enzo Maresca confirms who among Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen is first choice Chelsea goalkeeper

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that Filip Jorgensen is the club's first-choice goalkeeper over Robert Sanchez. Maresca made the comment at a press conference ahead of the Blues' trip to take on Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday, February 14.

Jorgensen has made 14 appearances for Chelsea this season, although only three have come in the Premier League. The latest was in the Blues' 2-1 win over London rivals West Ham United on February 3. Sanchez was previously Maresca's preferred choice, having made 21 appearances in the Premier League so far.

"I said that the Filip solution was also to give Robert some time to recover mentally and physically. But the idea is not to game by game change the keeper. In the last Premier League game, we had Filip and in the FA Cup, it was Robert. Our keeper at the moment is Filip," said Maresca.

"I spoke with Robert a few days before West Ham where I took the decision to play Filip. I never spoke again with Robert. Filip, exactly the same. They know the situation. This is the situation now and then we will see," he added.

Robert Sanchez's costly errors against Manchester City started his downfall

Sanchez, signed by Chelsea from Brighton in 2023 summer, has kept four clean sheets in his 21 Premier League starts this season. The Blues have conceded 27 goals under his watch in the Premier League. He also made an appearance in the FA Cup against his former club.

Although Maresca mentioned that Sanchez was given a break to recover physically and mentally, the Spanish custodian has made quite a few errors recently. His handling has not been up to par, and his erratic distribution has also left many Chelsea supporters fuming.

They were further angered when Chelsea lost 1-3 to Manchester City on January 25, mostly due to Sanchez's errors. One of these allowed City to score a follow-up goal after Sanchez fumbled Ilkay Gundogan's shot. Soon after, Sanchez stepped off his line, allowing Erling Haaland to chip in a goal into an empty Chelsea net.

Jorgensen, who did well against West Ham United, is Maresca's preferred option between the sticks at the moment. The Blues, who were beaten 1-2 by Brighton in the FA Cup on February 8, will hope that they can prevent the latter from doing the double on Friday.