Chelsea’s depressing kind continues.
On Saturday night, regardless of taking the lead inside ten minutes by way of Enzo Fernández, the Blues have been crushed 2-1 at Villa Park, the late winner coming within the closing minute of the 90.
This implies Enzo Maresca‘s aspect have now misplaced three consecutive Premier League away video games, profitable solely two of their final ten league fixtures performed wherever, so now discover themselves outdoors the Champions League locations.
Because the Blues’ woes rumble on, one reasonably necessary place epitomises their struggles.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper points
Saturday noticed summer season signing Filip Jorgensen begin a 3rd successive Premier League match in purpose, though he will not keep in mind his journey to the Midlands fondly, letting Marco Asensio’s reasonably tame shot to squirm straight by way of him within the dying embers of the sport.
Matt Regulation of the Telegraph labelled it a ‘howler’, Malik Ouzia of the Night Customary described it as a ‘clanger [that] gifted Villa all three factors’, whereas Maresa himself admitted he stays “at all times involved” by Chelsea’s ongoing goalkeeper disaster.
That is as a result of, as famous by Chris Wilson of the Unbiased, this isn’t a brand new factor, stating that ‘Chelsea’s goalkeeping woes proceed’.
Jorgensen is just donning the gloves as a result of Robert Sanchez, who had began 21 of the primary 23 Premier League matches this season, has been dropped following a string of high-profile errors.
The Spaniard was final seen within the league in the course of the 3-1 defeat at Manchester Metropolis, wherein Sanchez ‘endured a horrible efficiency’ within the phrases of GOAL, mere days after, as famous by Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian, he’d ‘added to his rising record of errors’ in the course of the house win over Wolves.
Previous to the 3-0 defeat at Brighton, Maresca confirmed Jorgensen is now his beginning Premier League goalkeeper in the meanwhile, with Sanchez subsequently set to characteristic in Convention League matches, the Blues face København at Parken within the first leg of their final 16 on Thursday week, however given how the pair are performing, this hierarchy actually just isn’t set in stone.
Nevertheless, is Chelsea’s greatest goalkeeper, outperforming each Sánchez and Jörgensen, presently out on mortgage, a choice they’re absolutely residing to remorse as each week passes?
Chelsea’s greatest goalkeeper is out on mortgage
As famous by Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, Chelsea started the season with eight first-team goalkeepers on their books, earlier than 4 of them, particularly Gabriel Słonina, Eddie Seaside, Kepa Arrizabalaga and, most notably, Đorđe Petrović, departed on mortgage.
Petrović joined Chelsea for a reported payment of £14m from the New England Revolution in August 2023, having been, as Tom Bogert of the Athletic put it, ‘the perfect goalkeeper in Main League Soccer’.
The stats actually again up this declare; based on FBref, the Revs’ shot-stopper racked up the very best post-shot anticipated targets – targets allowed determine of any goalkeeper in MLS all through the 2022 season, his determine of +13.1 at the least three greater than the next-best on this record.
Put up-shot anticipated targets (PSxG) is a metric used to find out how doubtless a goalkeeper is to save lots of a shot.
The Serbian arrived in West London to little fanfare however, by the tip of final season, had established himself as Mauricio Pochettino’s first-choice, beginning all 23 Premier League fixtures from ten December onwards, in addition to the EFL Cup Ultimate defeat to Liverpool.
Nevertheless, surplus to necessities this season, Tom Weber of Soccer Transfers believes he was deemed ‘not ok with the ball at his toes’ to play in a Maresca group, he subsequently joined Strasbourg on mortgage in August, the opposite membership owned by Todd Boehly’s group BlueCo.
Nicely, beneath new supervisor Liam Rosenior, les Bleu et Blanc are having fun with a wonderful season, knocking on the door of European qualification, as outlined by Nick Hartland of Get French Soccer Information, whereas Raphaël Jucobin of the Guardian notes that the 40-year-old supervisor has made a ‘large impression’ within the Alsace, however he isn’t the one one.
Rosenior has described his goalkeeper as “world-class”, so let’s have a look at how Petrović compares to the 2 misfits Chelsea determined to maintain as an alternative.
|
Petrovic vs Sanchez & Jorgesen 2024/25 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Petrovic |
Sanchez |
Jorgensen |
|
Appearances |
19 |
22 |
16 |
|
Minutes |
1,710 |
1,980 |
1,440 |
|
Targets conceded |
26 |
29 |
18 |
|
Targets conceded per 90 |
1.29 |
1.38 |
1.14 |
|
Clear sheets |
5 |
4 |
5 |
|
Clear sheet % |
26.3% |
18.2% |
31.3% |
|
Save % |
76.3% |
74.8% |
76.6% |
|
Put up-shot xG – targets allowed |
+4.8 |
+0.7 |
-0.2 |
|
Cross completion % |
79.9% |
73.3% |
83% |
As outlined within the desk, it is really Jorgensen whose statistics are the perfect, very marginally usually, albeit these are absolutely inflated by the actual fact he is performed towards minnows similar to FC Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers within the Convention League, in addition to each Barrow and Morecambe in home cups.
For Petrović, two statistics are most telling. First, his post-shot anticipated targets – targets allowed determine of +4.8 is exponentially greater than each of Chelsea’s present goalkeepers, whereas the Serbian ranks fourth in Ligue 1 for this metric this season.
Additionally, Petrović’s move completion % determine of 79.9% is greater than Sanchez’s and solely marginally decrease than that of Jorgensen, dismissing the notion that he couldn’t have performed out from the again to Maresca’s required degree, underlining that the Blues made a mistake forcing him to depart on mortgage.
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