Hard one to explain but Sanchez is good with the ball in regards to control and things like that, the issue is his decision making when he’s on the ball which is the important part of playing out from the back.

Either way I’ve always preferred Petrovic as it’s easier to learn to play out from the back than it is to learn not to parry shots back to people, get down quicker, you know actual goalkeeping…

Being good with the ball at one's feet can mean quite a lot of different things. I don't think that descriptor, in isolation, is very useful or indeed an effective way of evaluating whether one goalkeeper is better than another.

I also feel like a lot of people judge based on profile anyway. Kepa was frequently lauded for his specialist skillset of being 'good with the ball at his feet' despite there being very little evidence that this was true, but hey, he's dainty and Spanish so it must be true? In particular, this was used as evidence that he was better than Mendy who on the one hand was better than Kepa in every conceivable way, but on the other hand was gangling and African and therefore must have been clumsy on the ball.

"Good with his feet" is just as platitude used to be positive, when the keeper is sh*t at the basics of being a keeper.

15 hours ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Potter kicked out Aussie keeper Mat Ryan because he wasn't good with his feet. Due to injury/form Sanchez got the call up, he was the 5th choice at Brighton when promoted to the first team. Potter hailed how much better Sanchez was with his feet.

Then De Zerbi came in and punted him, openly criticising Sanchez for how poor he was on the ball.

Then, we signed him!

Bonkers isn't it!

On 03/03/2025 at 21:23, PloKoon13 said:

Being good with the ball at one's feet can mean quite a lot of different things. I don't think that descriptor, in isolation, is very useful or indeed an effective way of evaluating whether one goalkeeper is better than another.

I also feel like a lot of people judge based on profile anyway. Kepa was frequently lauded for his specialist skillset of being 'good with the ball at his feet' despite there being very little evidence that this was true, but hey, he's dainty and Spanish so it must be true? In particular, this was used as evidence that he was better than Mendy who on the one hand was better than Kepa in every conceivable way, but on the other hand was gangling and African and therefore must have been clumsy on the ball.

This is the reality of how most of us judge player. Many judge player based on the profile/reputation/look/nationality.

The bizzare part is when you watch the player it is just way off. You have Kepa being considered great on the ball when he is probably bang average. This season many consider Lavia as being good defensively when he has shown time time again how poor he is.

8 hours ago, Bob stark said:

This is the reality of how most of us judge player. Many judge player based on the profile/reputation/look/nationality.

The bizzare part is when you watch the player it is just way off. You have Kepa being considered great on the ball when he is probably bang average. This season many consider Lavia as being good defensively when he has shown time time again how poor he is.

Lavia is far better defensively and much more press resistant than Enzo, which is what everybody has said.

4 hours ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Lavia is far better defensively and much more press resistant than Enzo, which is what everybody has said.

When he is 100% fit which is not often.

42 minutes ago, Scott said:

When he is 100% fit which is not often.

Not disputing that, just strange that Bob is insinuating like we aren't better with Lavia than with Enzo in the pivot

Another Man of the Match performance v Lyon last night. Surely they wouldn’t..

Just remember, we watched Petrovic outshine Sanchez for an entire season and Maresca still came in and said he couldn’t play his way. I’d bet my house that Petrovic would have saved us at least 5 points this season.

On 05/03/2025 at 07:29, Bob stark said:

This is the reality of how most of us judge player. Many judge player based on the profile/reputation/look/nationality.

The bizzare part is when you watch the player it is just way off. You have Kepa being considered great on the ball when he is probably bang average. This season many consider Lavia as being good defensively when he has shown time time again how poor he is.

We are money balling it....

CLOWNLAKE NEED TO COME OUT AND SAY PETROVIC AND SANTOS WILL MOVE TO CHELSEA AS SOON AS THE SEASON ENDS

Absolute Chelsea On SI

Strasbourg make Djordje Petrovic request as Bayer Leverku...

Chelsea have a decision on their hands over the future of Djordje Petrovic amid growing transfer interest ahead of the summer window. The 25-year-old is curren

16 minutes ago, Caps_Lock_King said:

CLOWNLAKE NEED TO COME OUT AND SAY PETROVIC AND SANTOS WILL MOVE TO CHELSEA AS SOON AS THE SEASON ENDS

Absolute Chelsea On SI

Strasbourg make Djordje Petrovic request as Bayer Leverku...

Chelsea have a decision on their hands over the future of Djordje Petrovic amid growing transfer interest ahead of the summer window. The 25-year-old is curren

They'll probably offer £70m plus Petrovic for Kobel ...

During his loan spell at Strasbourg in the 2024–25 season, Djordje Petrović demonstrated significant improvement in his passing game, particularly in short distribution. He led all goalkeepers in Europe's top five leagues in several passing metrics, including total passes, passes completed, short passes, and short passes completed. This indicates a strong emphasis on short passing in his play.

Petrović averaged 7.3 long balls per 90 minutes, slightly more than Chelsea's Robert Sánchez, who averaged 5.8. However, his average pass length was shorter (27.5 meters compared to Sánchez's 31.8 meters), suggesting a greater focus on building play from the back through shorter passes

GUY NEEDS A CHANCE

Edited May 26, 20251 yr by NestorGarde

He had the highest save percentage in Ligue 1 at 78.7%.

https://fbref.com/en/comps/13/Ligue-1-Stats

53 minutes ago, Scott said:

He had the highest save percentage in Ligue 1 at 78.7%.

https://fbref.com/en/comps/13/Ligue-1-Stats

2nd actually, but very good all the same !

But does he displace the guy who was #1 in the "harder league" PL though ? LOL LOL 😎

78.9 > 76.4 so I'll say yes before I get lynched for highlighting inconvenient stats again LOL

Edited May 26, 20251 yr by Sexyfootball

15 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

2nd actually, but very good all the same !

But does he displace the guy who was #1 in the "harder league" PL though ? LOL LOL 😎

78.9 > 76.4 so I'll say yes before I get lynched for highlighting inconvenient stats again LOL

#1 played only 15 matches though, so stats are a bit skewed. Petro #1 o/

1 hour ago, Brigadeiro Mk II said:

#1 played only 15 matches though, so stats are a bit skewed. Petro #1 o/

True but I would have thought that was a decent enough sample size - 1350 minutes.

Nice to see Bulka showing what he can do as well.

9 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

True but I would have thought that was a decent enough sample size - 1350 minutes.

Nice to see Bulka showing what he can do as well.

It actually validated a point that I have previously stuck my neck out with. As a goalie doing proper goalie things Sanchez is decent enough. It's when he is forced out of his comfort zone and forced to think quickly with the ball at his feet that it all can go Pete tong.

11 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

It actually validated a point that I have previously stuck my neck out with. As a goalie doing proper goalie things Sanchez is decent enough. It's when he is forced out of his comfort zone and forced to think quickly with the ball at his feet that it all can go Pete tong.

I think he's middle of the pack to be honest. Nowhere near the best, but nowhere near the worst either, and definitely better than Jorgensen. Can we do better ? Absolutely ! Doubtful we will though as long as Ben Roberts is in charge of goalkeeping at the club.

1 hour ago, Sexyfootball said:

I think he's middle of the pack to be honest. Nowhere near the best, but nowhere near the worst either, and definitely better than Jorgensen. Can we do better ? Absolutely ! Doubtful we will though as long as Ben Roberts is in charge of goalkeeping at the club.

Sneaky punt for Ederson maybe?

56 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Sneaky punt for Ederson maybe?

Don't think Eghbali will countenance a move for a GK who might get more assists than his star boy Enzo LOL

Petrovic was voted Strasbourg’s Player of the Year BTW.

3 hours ago, Scott said:

Petrovic was voted Strasbourg’s Player of the Year BTW.

Who votes for that ? The supporters ?

Did well to get PotY ahead of Santos !

23 hours ago, Scott said:

Petrovic was voted Strasbourg’s Player of the Year BTW.

Over Santos?