A problem well pronounced amidst Chelsea faithfuls due to its longevity, Chelsea team’s past and present remain bereft of ideas when faced up against a ‘nasty’ low-block.
Physically imposing teams with the mentality to shut-up shop throughout the entire duration of games have proven to be Chelsea’s Achilles and despite the Blues’ goal scoring run leading to this game (17 goals in the past 5 games) the Blues’ struggle was somewhat expected against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
A fortuitous draw despite the visitors going down to 10-men, we take a look into the performance of the man responsible for keeping Forest out, Robert Sanchez.
Known by the fanbase for his errors and calamitous moments, there is no doubt that Sanchez won his team one point today with his massive saves.
Partly at fault for the first goal last week, and directly causing the second, Rob Sanchez redeemed himself with an outstanding showing as Nottingham Forest sought to add Chelsea to the ‘hunted’ list having already defeated Liverpool this season.
Eight saves with five frim shots inside the box, Sanchez earned his wages as Forest proved resilient even after going a man down.
Brilliant saves from Neco Williams and Jota late in the game had many with their hearts in their mouth as Chelsea sought a win against Forest’s 10-men.
Clutch saves are not the only way Sanchez has impacted the team this season, as his passing and importance in build-up have gone up a great deal owing to Maresca’s insistence on keeping possession and building up from the back.
Against a team disinterested in pressing as Forest, Sanchez completed 17 of his 21 attempted passes and despite his long passes not always finding their targets, Sanchez managed to complete 2 out of 6 attempted long passes.
His sweeping also came in handy against a Forest side that sought to break quickly in transition as Sanchez acted as a sweeper once when he snuffed out a dangerous Forest attack as Gibbs-White broke through in the second half.
Despite the criticisms the Spaniard has faced this season (right on many occasions), the former Brighton goalie has come up huge on various occasions with stunning saves.
As he posted on his social media platforms after the Brighton game, “one day I help, the next day they help me…”
Attention now switches to the international break before the teams return in a fortnight as Chelsea travel to Anfield.
