If Robert Sanchez is the answer, what is the question?

A morning assessment of Chelsea FC and the world of football to enjoy with your coffee (or beverage of choice)

The sight of Robert Sanchez galloping confidently out of his goal, assured to be controlling the narrative, to then being instantly exposed and embarrassed for all to see so perfectly encapsulated Chelsea in 2025.

Think of Sanchez as the brash and arrogant new boys into European football, and his peer Trevoh Chalobah as the institutional wisdom that helped Chelsea become one of the world’s most successful clubs. Erling Haaland was the brick wall called reality.

This latest humiliation symbolised the incompetence, the level of brazen stupidity and lack of reason for self-assuredness that has come to represent the perception of Clearlake’s running of the club.

Robert Sanchez may be the public face of that humiliation but it should not be lost who put him in that role to begin with.

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I spent a lot of time during the summer of 2024 publicly sharing my criticism of the club’s direction. Even before the somewhat shocking exit of Mauricio Pochettino, concerns over the club’s general direction and transfer policy had set in.

Either by public events or private whispers around several situations, it was hard to ignore this nagging feeling that something was deeply wrong.

The summer should be remembered for what it actually was. Not a glamorous procession of signings. Not a wondrous use of Profit and Sustainability trickery: it was a failure.

Chelsea had voluntarily opted to make their squad weaker after a strong end to the campaign. And with over £1 Billion spent, the financial necessity to return to Champions League football pronto, the logic of such a poor window made little sense.

Sporting Directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart had asked the public to only judge after four windows. Last summer was that fourth window.

Opting to shun and loan their first-choice goalkeeper to a satellite club. Cynically ostracise their strongest defender before loaning him to Crystal Palace. Selling their best midfielder in exchange for a player whose previous loan with the club left a lot to be desired. No new striker to even compete with a still developing forward.

It is very hard to look at that window as anything other than a masterclass of malpractice. Needn’t we utter to off-field drama that surrounded Pochettino’s exit, the shocking goodbyes to Neil Bath and Jim Fraser, the welcome exit of Chief Executive Chris Jurasek and briefing explosion of a split between Clearlake and Todd Boehly.

But all of this was briefly masked by a surprisingly strong start to the season which saw Chelsea sit in a nosebleed high of 2nd before Christmas. Enzo Maresca’s calming demeanour did not reflect a perceived whirlwind behind the scenes. Cole Palmer continued to dazzle, goals were liberally scored and the very rare sight of a win over Brentford hinted that maybe our summer fears were wildly naive.

Humility is important in the face of new evidence. Supporters were happy again to see consistent wins and the team objectively looked to be gelling.

Praise was widely handed out by media and fans, leading to a favourable article by The Telegraph on the 22nd of December titled: Inside the new Chelsea model: How the “billion pound bottle jobs” silenced their critics.

Written by Sam Wallace, the extensive piece coincided with a moment when Chelsea could have sat at the summit of the Premier League table with a valuable win at Goodison Park. It was an early victory lap by Chelsea’s decision makers who were keen to rub it in the faces of their critics.

Then, like Sanchez running out of his goal too early, Chelsea’s good form would soon evaporate.

A draw at Everton, a first loss at home to Fulham in 45 years, becoming the first Premier League side to lose at Portman Road this season, irritating dropped points to Palace and Bournemouth, and then the loss at Manchester City. Even with the 3-1 victory over Wolves at home. The record of only one league win in 7 has completely turned the tide of discourse. Optimism has turned into cynicism, hope into fear and belief into doubt. Champions League qualification is in jeopardy, a dividing line between success and failure this season.

The arrival of the January transfer window has been mask-slipping moment. Reigniting all the issues of the summer, but now with the added fuel of disappointing results and a growing wave of discontent including those who were previously sympathetic to Clearlake, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

No better representation of this was the sudden recall of Trevoh Chalobah from Palace. That best defender we banished. The one who was excluded from the summer US tour, barred from first-team facilities, briefed to media that he wasn’t “technically good enough” to play for a coach he had never worked with. And to top it all of, take his shirt number whilst he was still at the club and hand to Joao Felix.

The return of Chalobah was embarrassing enough for the sporting directors, but his outstanding return against Wolves only cemented how inept their initial act was, and the public humiliation solidified how far from logical Chelsea’s transfer policy had become.

That gets us back to Sanchez.

A player whom was already widely doubted after a concerning first season, eyebrows were raised when it was made clear he would be entrusted as Enzo Maresca’s first choice. This after a series of unenforced errors, not all punished. How could Sanchez be not only first choice, but the best Chelsea could offer?

By the time we got to Saturday night’s calamity, and outside condemnation, it appeared clear Sanchez should no longer start for Chelsea. “How could Chelsea ever do anything serious with a keeper like that?” Whilst they are correct, this should not be a February conclusion.

I’m just a guy writing this piece in my spare time. I do not get paid thousands to make big choices around Chelsea, nor do I work in the highest echelons of an elite sport that trades in millions.

With my amateur credentials stated. How could I see the Rob Sanchez problem back in June and the club couldn’t?

This was a keeper who had already showcased enough recklessness to disqualify him from such a prominent role. You would think that a 23-year-old from the MLS taking his spot in the previous season was enough reason to pause for thought.

But Chelsea and Maresca continued down this treacherous path. Even as pre-season warnings hinted at what could befall Maresca, ironically against Manchester City, nothing deterred it.

Sanchez would gift a goal at home to Brighton, messily concede a penalty at Old Trafford, look uncertain at Anfield and provide questionable positioning for several goals.

By Christmas, no keeper in the Premier League errors’ had led to more goals. Against Wolves he failed to claim a corner, gifting another away.

Maybe that was the endpoint? But no, Enzo Maresca went out of his way to publicly act as Sanchez’s defence attorney. “I fully trust Robert Sanchez. How many times has Caicedo missed a pass? Many times. How many times has Nico missed a goal? Many times”. “How many times has Noni missed a cross? Many times. Robert has made four mistakes...”

And so we went further, and The Etihad, maybe the endpoint? On an evening when Chelsea’s biggest weakness was so painfully exposed and the extent to the club’s failings last summer coming to the fore.

Who stands in between the goalposts next Monday against West Ham is a separate question. What is more revealing in this moment is how we got here, and the reasons why?

• How could such a vast oversight be possible?

• How can a club who have spent such vast amounts still be so short in vital positions?

• Why are decisions over the squad so baffling?

• Is the starting premise of creating a better football team not the endpoint of Clearlake?

Throughout this season we have seen unwavering support for Sanchez, whose errors are only mere roadblocks in a career destined for greatness. It has got so extreme that Maressca is no longer just defending Sanchez, he is throwing others under the bus to do so.

This is modern Chelsea. Fundamentally flawed footballers are indulged and politically shielded by flawed sporting directors and “Head of Global Goalkeeping”. All while actually good ones are sold, ostracised or never bought in the first place.

And with so many oversights that could risk not meeting your objectives, one wonders if the internal pressure is not great enough or non-existent. It felt particularly noteworthy that hours before the City game, a clip from an interview with Maresca from Sky Sports illuminated this concern.

Whilst briefings sight ambitions of 100-point teams, lavish new stadiums, endless commercial opportunities and wild acclaim, how could a club with any of those proclaimed ambitions actively choose to make Robert Sanchez their first-choice goalkeeper?

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