Marc Cucurella says he is confident Robert Sanchez will bounce back from his recent struggles and believes it may be beneficial for the Chelsea goalkeeper to ‘spend a little time out of the spotlight’. Sanchez held off stiff competition from Dorde Petrovic to nail down his spot as Chelsea’s number one at the start of the season under new head coach Enzo Maresca. However, a series of high-profile errors have blighted Sanchez’s season in the Premier League and serious questions have been raised over the Spaniard’s place in Maresca’s starting XI.

After another costly mistake at Manchester City, Maresca made the call to drop Sanchez to the bench against West Ham, with summer signing Filip Jorgensen given the nod between the sticks for Monday’s London derby. While Jorgensen was unable to keep out Jarod Bowen’s 42nd-minute opener, the young shot-stopper impressed for the most part and was singled out for praise by his manager shortly after the final whistle.

‘In this moment, Robert needs rest and Filip was very good,’ Maresca told reporters after Pedro Neto scored and Aaron Wan-Bissaka directed the ball into his own net to secure Chelsea an important win. It remains to be seen if Sanchez will be recalled for the Blues’ FA Cup fourth-round tie with Brighton this coming weekend. Speaking to AS in the mixed zone after Chelsea’s victory, Cucurella empathised with his fellow countryman’s situation having endured tough times himself in English football.

‘It’s difficult. I think it is also important for him to work and spend a little time out of the spotlight,’ the Chelsea defender said when asked about Maresca’s decision to drop Sanchez. ‘All the players who have come here have had tough moments . ‘The important thing is that he is well and that he continues working hard because surely the opportunity will come again and, when it does, he will be ready.’.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. Cucurella backed Sanchez to return stronger as long as he continues to put in the hard yards on the training ground. ‘I told him to stay calm, that it has happened to everyone,’ the Spain full-back added. ‘The most important thing is that he works hard and continues training even harder. You have to work hard to turn the situation around.

‘I have known him since Brighton, we are great friends and he knows that I am there for him, whatever he needs. ‘Today, the important thing is that the team has won, we have picked up three points and it does not matter if one or the other plays, the important thing is that the team wins.’. Cucurella was a mixture of ‘very happy’ and relieved after Chelsea managed to recover from going a goal down to emerge with maximum points.

‘The first half was good,’ he went on. ‘It is true that it was difficult to attack because everyone was behind the ball and we made a mistake that cost us the goal, but then we turned the game around. ‘We needed it, here, at home, with our people and we are very happy.’. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.