It did not come as a surprise to me that Filip Jorgensen was not in the starting XI against Newcastle United. After his poor display against Paris Saint-Germain in mid-week, and some of his actions after the game, that was somewhat expected. Robert Sanchez was back between the posts.
What did come out of the blue though is that Jorgensen was not even included in the squad. Instead, Teddy Sharman-Lowe found himself on the Stamford Bridge bench.
Naturally, fans were left questioning why. While Jorgensen had been poor in Paris, there had also been suggestions over the past week that he was now considered the number one by Liam Rosenior. So, to move away from him so swiftly was not something that had been anticipated.
Now, we know why Jorgensen has been dropped from the Chelsea squad by Rosenior. Or at the very least, it is the reasoning that is being provided to the media.
Real reason Jorgensen has been dropped by Chelsea vs Newcastle United
According to Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail, Jorgensen’s absence from the Chelsea squad is due to a slight groin issue.
There was mixed reaction from the supporters to the news. Most did not seem to be convinced though that Jorgensen’s absence was down to injury. One wrote on X: ‘Next joke.’
Sanchez needs to take this chance to reclaim his spot
This is definitely a chance for Sanchez to reclaim his spot as the number one for Chelsea. It is very clear that he had slipped down the pecking order in recent weeks. Otherwise, he would have been the one starting against PSG. When the two sides met in the Club World Cup final, the Spaniard had put in an excellent display and kept a clean sheet. So, missing out on that match should have sent a clear message.
Of course, Sanchez has had his ups and downs at Chelsea. But I do believe that as a goalkeeper, his ceiling is much higher than that of Jorgensen.
Sanchez is excellent at commanding the box, a brilliant shot-stopper and world-class on his day. What lets him down at times is his decision-making and errors with the ball at his feet. On the other hand, Jorgensen struggles at multiple aspects of the game. He has never looked comfortable with the physical side of the English game. And as we saw against PSG, he is just as error-prone as his Spanish teammate.
