Enzo Maresca needs a better No 1 goalkeeper than Robert Sanchez if Chelsea want to win the biggest prizes, writes DANNY MURPHY
Enzo Maresca needs a better No 1 goalkeeper than Robert Sanchez if Chelsea want to win the biggest prizes, writes DANNY MURPHY
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Chelsea will always create chances and score goals. The reason they haven't been able to sustain a title challenge is that they lack experience and leadership at the other end. Saturday night's defeat at Manchester City has left them in sixth place - not what you'd expect for a £1.3billion outlay under Todd Boehly.
![[Chelsea are crying out for leadership at the back if they are to be serious contenders for titles]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/25/22/94514945-14325551-Maresca_said_bluntly_that_the_Chelsea_goalkeeper_is_aware_that_h-a-4_1737843147880.jpg)
I can see the benefits in investing in youth and potential but there has to be a balance. It's not coincidence that the best teams in the league this season, Liverpool and Arsenal, both have a consistent centre back partnership in front of a reliable goalkeeper.
![[Sanchez rushed out of goal recklessly which allowed Erling Haaland to lift the ball over him]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/25/22/94514947-14325551-Sanchez_rushed_out_of_goal_recklessly_which_allowed_Erling_Haala-a-5_1737843228870.jpg)
You can't compare Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Alisson or William Saliba, Gabriel and David Raya to what Chelsea had at the Etihad. Levi Colwill is still learning at 21, Trevoh Chalobah has never had a full season as a Premier League starter and Robert Sanchez isn't at the level to compete for the biggest trophies, which is where Chelsea want to be.
Robert Sanchez (left) could find himself dropped by Enzo Maresca for Chelsea's next game. Chelsea are crying out for leadership at the back if they are to be serious contenders for titles. You saw the frailties against City. They couldn't cope with Erling Haaland playing the high line and with the time and space Ilkay Gundogan had in which to play his passes, it was inevitable the champions were going to score.
