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Former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has demanded that Robert Sanchez shouldn't be judged solely for his errors. He opined that the goalkeeper should rather be evaluated for his overall contributions to the Blues.
Speaking to GOAL, Di Matteo claimed that Sanchez's critics only focus on the mistakes that he makes. He also claimed that Sanchez is a decent shot stopper and encouraged those who complain about the 27-year-old's display to be more objective with their criticism, saying:
"Leave him alone! I had this question last season. You only focus on the mistakes. I know a goalkeeper makes a mistake and it is highlighted because most of the time it is a goal, but there are positives. Switch it around for once. Look at how many good saves he made, how many points he won for the team."
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Di Matteo continued:
"Yes, he has made some mistakes - every goalkeeper makes mistakes. But we can move on and be objective about Sanchez. Ok, he has made six/seven mistakes that led to goals but how many points has he saved for the club with crucial saves? Let’s look at that. I think he’s a very good goalkeeper."
Sanchez has been criticized for his goalkeeping errors that have made Chelsea concede goals since joining them from Brighton for a reported £25 million in 2023. Some critics have also questioned his credibility as the first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge.
A claim which Di Matteo feels is very harsh for a goalkeeper that have helped the Blues in registering key points across competitions. Sanchez has conceded 73 goals and has kept 20 clean sheets in 64 appearances since joining Chelsea.
"It was harsh to let him go" - Roberto Di Matteo on Nicolas Jackson's departure from Chelsea
Roberto Di Matteo also claimed that Chelsea's decision to send Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich on loan was a harsh one. The 55-year-old added that Jackson was a decent striker who worked hard to improve at Stamford Bridge.
During a recent interview, Di Matteeo shared his thoughts on Jackson's exit, saying (via The Chelsea Chronicle):
"I think it was harsh to let him go, that’s my opinion. He worked really hard, he was a very good striker. Maybe he was missing something. That natural [goalscoring] instinct. Maybe he hasn’t got it yet, he still might find it."
Jackson is one player whose season-long loan to Bayern Munich was a subject of discussion this summer. The striker reportedly refused to return to Stamford Bridge after his transfer was initially canceled by the Blues hierarchy.
However, the striker's camp and the Premier League giants were able to find a solution, and Jackson completed the loan move to Bayern Munich before the summer transfer deadline. He scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup champions.
