Robert Sanchez has just let in an Arsenal shot at the near post, making it 1-0 to the Gunners. It’s been a scrappy game of few clear chances so far, but Martin Odegaard’s flick over our defence finally opened the game up and the Brazilian winger made no mistake.
We don’t want to make Sanchez a scapegoat, but there’s just no denying that he could and should have done better with Gabriel Martinelli’s shot, which squeezed past him at the near post. In such a tight game which is there for the winner, it’s so, so frustrating.
Usually it’s his work on the ball that gets us worried. Today it was the actual goalkeeping which was the problem. To be fair, a crazy offside trap left Martinelli with time to take the ball down and advance close to Sanchez’s goal. But in the end, he’s still got to protect that near post better.
You can see the goal in the clips embedded here:
Gabriel Martinelli with CONVICTION! 😤 pic.twitter.com/BUfke8F4PM
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 10, 2024
[Footage from Sky Sports Premier League]
Martinelli's been our biggest threat all game. He deserved that ⚽pic.twitter.com/vObx8yvuAT
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) November 10, 2024
[Footage from Canal Plus]
ARSENAL STRIKE FIRST. IT'S GABRIEL MARTINELLI.
📺 USA Network | #CHEARS pic.twitter.com/vwnf46ExQh
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 10, 2024
[Footage from Sky Sports Premier League]
Chelsea’s need for Sanchez replacement exposed again
We’ve said many times that we expect Chelsea to pursue a top class goalkeeper, and despite the claims of the sporting directors that they think Sanchez can be a great player, we still think next summer we bring in a top stopper.
The question is how many points we’ll throw away before that deal is completed. The signing of goalkeepers by these sporting directors so far has been a disaster, let’s face it. Even if someone like young Mike Penders goes on to be world class, we’ve already had two seasons without a competent number one where we’ve lost countless points to errors both on and off the ball.
