Chelsea seem to be in goalkeeper crisis mode right now. Both Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez have been in poor form lately, and now it appears that Blues manager Liam Rosenior will only have the former at his disposal, not the latter, for awhile. “Filip felt his groin yesterday, and he couldn’t train,” Rosenior said after the loss to Newcastle.
“I thought Rob (Sanchez) actually performed very, very well today in every aspect. Hopefully, Filip will be back really, really soon.”
UEFA Champions League Round of 16
Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain Leg 2 of 2
Tie Aggregate: PSG leads 5-2
Kickoff: Tue March 17, 8pm kickoff, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, UK
Google Result Probability for 90 Min: Chelsea win 46% Draw 23% Paris Saint-Germain win 31%
Blues Team News
The timeline for Jorgensen to return remains unclear. However, there really isn’t any rush to force anyone back on St. Patrick’s Day against PSG. Down by three goals on aggregate, from the the first leg, this tie pretty much over. No need to risk anyone, but Estevao Willian could be deemed match fit to feature here.
“Estevao is still a little bit further away,” Rosenior said on Friday the 13th. “We want to be careful because of the nature of his hamstring injury. ‘The last thing we want to do is rush him back… So, we will see what he’s like for Tuesday’s game against PSG.”
Elsewhere Jamie Gittens could recover from his thigh injury in time to make the matchday squad in this one.
“Jamie was due back on the bench today but felt his hamstring late after training yesterday,” Rosenior said on Saturday. “So we’re just checking up on him.”
Put him in the maybe category. And then finally, Pedro Neto has been at the center of controversy once again. First he received a one-match suspension and a £70,000 fine for his misconduct when he failed to leave the pitch, after being sent off in the loss to Arsenal. He served his domestic ban in the loss to Newcastle yesterday.
However, now UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Neto, due to an incident where shoved a ball boy during the first leg of this tie.
The incident occurred late in the loss at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday night.
“I’ve seen it back and it doesn’t look good,” said Rosenior. “I understand his perspective, he wants to get the ball back in play. There are ways you go about it.
“He wanted to apologise straight away. We make mistakes but it’s about learning.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.