Calls for Djordje Petrovic to start in goal for Chelsea are growing louder, amid a spell of unconvincing displays from Robert Sanchez.
With No1 Sanchez in the spotlight following some shaky moments, Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make when Blackburn visit Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup tonight.
Petrovic is waiting in the wings and pushing to make his Chelsea debut. The 6ft 4in Serbian was signed for £14million from New England Revolution in the summer after Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Real Madrid on loan.
He was brought in as competition to Sanchez, after Chelsea’s data-driven approach spotted him this summer due to his incredible stats in stopping shots.
He has been by far and away the best-performing goalkeeper in the MLS for the last few seasons.
His outstanding performances in the States also passed the eye test of coach Ben Roberts, who is head of Chelsea’s goalkeeping department and was influential in his signing.
Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who both played under Pochettino at Tottenham and managed New England Revolution, has been following Petrovic closely.
“I wasn’t surprised he joined Chelsea at all,” Friedel told Standard Sport. “I told a couple of other Premier League clubs they should come in for him.
“He has been by far and away the best-performing goalkeeper in the MLS for the last few seasons. His positioning is good, his reflexes are good, his balance is good, his quickness is good.
“Between his age, his athleticism, shot-stopping, consistency and mentality — he can be very good in the Premier League.”
Petrovic will, however, need to adapt to Pochettino’s demands of playing out from the back. “He was always kicking long in the US, but he had an excellent coach (ex-Chelsea goalkeeper) Kevin Hitchcock,” said Friedel.
“Pochettino will want him to vary his distribution and make shorter passes — I know his goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez will help him grow a lot.”
Nottingham Forest and Nantes made offers to sign Petrovic and make him their No1 in the summer, while Manchester United wanted him as understudy to Andre Onana. All three clubs were priced out of a move.
Petrovic is understood to be happy at Chelsea, where he feels he can challenge to be first-choice. After some errors from Sanchez in recent weeks, Pochettino says the Spaniard needs “time to adapt” at Chelsea “where there is pressure to win”.
Pochettino has vowed to pick a strong team tonight, with Chelsea desperate to get something going ahead of a tough run of games in the Premier League. The Carabao Cup could provide their best route back into Europe next season.
Bringing in Petrovic in the Premier League would be a bold call, but tonight does present him with a chance to see him in action.
Friedel said: “It will be down to him on how he performs when he gets in. Of course, this is a bigger stage so we don’t know how he will react when he makes a mistake but all I’ve seen from Djordje points to the fact he will be fine when it happens.”
