‘Sanchez what are you doing?’ – Chelsea legend slams keeper live at Club World Cup
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel criticised Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after his latest blunder in their Club World Cup semi-final against Fluminense.
Chelsea were in control in the first-half against their Brazilian opponents after Joao Pedro netted his first goal for the club with a superb long-range strike against his former side.
Enzo Maresca has stuck by Sanchez throughout his side’s CWC campaign, but his loyalty was tested just before the half-hour mark in New Jersey.
Some neat Fluminense play saw German Cano flick the ball into Hercules’ path, and as he advanced on goal with only Sanchez to beat, the Spanish stopper stayed rooted to his goal-line to give his opponent a much better chance of scoring when it looked like he had time to come and claim.
The Brazilian midfielder flicked it past Sanchez towards the goal, but Blues left-back Marc Cucurella spared his compatriot’s blushes as his last-ditch clearance took the ball off the line and saved a certain leveller.
Marc Cucurella spares Chelsea keeper’s blushes
Sanchez has been criticised before after committing errors in goal for Chelsea, and he did not escape without judgement this time around as club legend John Obi Mikel voiced his disapproval at his mistake live on DAZN at half-time in the semi-final.
Host Kelly Somers asked (DAZN 8.59pm 8 July) Mikel: “This one frustrated it you didn’t it?,” to which he responded, saying: “Ah yeah it did frustrate me, I’m sure all the Chelsea fans here in the stadium and at home as well watching would be thinking ‘Sanchez, what are you doing?! Come out! It’s your ball! Come and catch it!’
“But he didn’t. But of course Cucurella, great anticipation didn’t stop, and a great clearance.”
Chelsea need to sign an upgrade on Sanchez
Football Insider verdict
Sanchez struggled throughout the last Chelsea campaign and committed a series of high-profile errors, and so Maresca was thought to be looking to sign a new keeper this summer after reports of the Blues’ interest in Mike Maignan emerged last month.
Chelsea and AC Milan could not agree terms over a move for Maignan [The Guardian], however, and so links to a new shot-stopper have cooled, likely to the dismay of many supporters.
| Appearances | Goals against | Clean Sheets |
| 59 | 72 | 16 |
Maresca has faced a dilemma this summer due to the sheer amount of keepers at his disposal at Stamford Bridge, and numerous Chelsea fans called for Djordje Petrovic to be their number one goalkeeper next season in the midst of his loan spell at Strasbourg last term.
His performances in Ligue 1 helped Liam Rosenior’s side to a seventh-placed finish and should have put him in contention this summer, but Petrovic now looks set to depart Chelsea soon, with a gentleman’s agreement in place that he can leave if a club bids £25million to sign him.
Sanchez, though, is pretty clearly not good enough or reliable enough to stay in goal for the West London outfit much longer, and the Blues should prioritise signing a new keeper before the new season starts next month.