Srećko Šijaković 
20/9/2025 Saturday
Firstly, Joao Pedro wasn’t the prime target Chelsea had been targeting; they had been targeting Hugo Ekitike before he signed for Liverpool. Eintracht Frankfurt wanted a very big fee, which Chelsea refused to pay. Later, he became a Liverpool player.
With Liam Delap’s injury, Joao Pedro has been starting every game, and it is the same every game. He just receives the ball and loses it, or he is fouled. He doesn’t make any passes, he doesn’t come into dangerous positions, he doesn’t receive the ball, and he doesn’t have any impact.
He literally doesn’t exist on the pitch. He is nowhere; he doesn’t threaten chances. He doesn’t create space, he doesn’t exist, but he is always near the middle of the pitch, collecting the balls there. He sometimes recovers the ball and falls.
This is a Chelsea striker issue, like Nkunku wasn’t a typical striker, the same as Joao Felix. Joao Pedro also covers AM or is a left and right winger, but he is a striker, and he has been signed as a striker for Chelsea, who have striker issues. Go and score — that is what Jackson was very great at, for real.
Is Robert Sanchez a professional goalkeeper?
At the end of the last season, Chelsea really needed points, and they started to prepare Robert Sanchez to defend. Firstly, he was catching a ball with his hands and dragging crosses from the right side.
Then he started catching the ball that came into the box while preparing himself for this. Then he was heading and throwing the ball with his hands in front.
He was nicknamed an octopus, but an octopus who was being prepared for the match and defending the goal chances. For example, in the Club World Cup, they say at Chelsea: We need you to defend, you need to defend, they prepare him, and he really does it.
Before PSG, they say we need you; they are shouting here and there, prepare yourself, you mustn’t concede.
When opposition attacks Chelsea, they are panicking because they know he defends only when he is ready, which is why Chelsea is conceding.
This season, Sanchez:
He conceded a goal against West Ham, a goal when nobody in the stadium knew that Paqueta was going to shoot, and he conceded that goal. Like, there is no one on goal. He wasn’t ready for that.
They also disallowed a goal from Crystal Palace when they scored a goal from a free kick. No reflexes, no reaction.
This guy doesn’t have reflexes, and he is reacting like he isn’t a professional goalkeeper. His red card in 5 minutes of the game against Manchester United was the biggest decrease for him personally and for Chelsea as their keeper. When he was sent off, it was very difficult for Chelsea to return. The game was decided already.
It only looks like Chelsea’s defense is not panicking when there is a threat on, but it isn’t the case. They know he is rigged.
Filip Jorgensen’s time has come:
Today, after many games played by Chelsea, there was a save by Jorgensen — Chelsea’s goalkeeper saved on one occasion, but in this situation, you could see a real goalkeeper in Chelsea’s goal: a goalkeeper with good reflexes and goalkeeping technique.
Chalobah problem:
Chelsea fans might be proud of returning Chalobah to the team from the loan in February. They have a reason for that; that is good club policy — he is a player of the academy, but they will pay a price by not bringing a new central back into their squad in the summer, and they are already paying the price.
Chalobah is much better than Tosin, but the lack of defenders is visible now.
Wesley Fofana is good with Chelsea today. He is the type of defender Chelsea should have signed on the Chalobah side. He is world-class. But on the left side, it is not good at all.
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