How Robert Sanchez got on in first appearance since being thrown out of Chelsea by Xabi Alonso

The club signed Emi Martinez just before the transfer window closed, shutting the door on any meaningful opportunities for the Spaniard at Stamford Bridge.

How Robert Sanchez got on in first appearance since leaving Chelsea

He joined Como in the final hours of the window, under the leadership of Cesc Fabregas, however has had to be patient before making his debut for the Serie A club.

This came on Monday night, with Como keeping up their excellent start to the season with a 2-1 win over Parma to move themselves to third in the table.

Sanchez came seconds away from keeping a clean sheet, something Chelsea haven’t managed in the league since January.

Despite conceding late, he made three saves during the game, including two late in the second half when the game was on a knife-edge.

There were still issues with the 28-year-old’s distribution, an area of his game which deeply troubled him when he was between the sticks in West London.

Sanchez completed 19 of the 27 passes he attempted in the game, and only six of the 14 long passes he tried as maintaining possession remained one of his weaknesses.

He did not feature alongside fellow former Blue Trevoh Chalobah in this game. Fabregas opted for rotation throughout the side, and the England international seems to have walked straight into his starting XI.

Chelsea fans, how do you feel about Enzo Fernandez’s exit after his bright display in the Manchester derby?

Martinez not yet delivering in Sanchez’s absence

Despite the small transfer fee, Chelsea fans had high expectations following the signing of Martinez, who was part of the 2022 World Cup winning squad.

In the three Premier League games he has played, the Blues have conceded seven goals, with fingers being pointed at the Argentine on occasion already.

Martinez was criticised for not saving Kai Havertz’s effort which got Arsenal back into the game against Chelsea.

It will never be known whether that game would have changed if the Blues got to the break a goal up, and whether they could have ended up making a real statement to the rest of the league.

Since then though, the shot stopper has struggled against Hull City too, and will be looking to finally make a real statement of intent when they travel across West London to Brentford on Friday.

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