Chelsea star to be dropped after breaking Enzo Maresca's one rule and his controversial decision

Enzo Maresca's commitment to his style of football is totally unwavering and that should not be a surprise to any at Chelsea. Last season when at Leicester City he threatened to quit if there was any doubt in his methods.

Much like he has done in recent weeks and months at Stamford Bridge, Maresca also called for patience and trust from supporters when creeping concern and audible frustration emerged at the King Power Stadium.

Maresca's other hill he is willing to die on is his goalkeeper.

In place of Petrovic, Maresca turned back to Robert Sanchez, who Chelsea bought from Brighton in 2023. Filip Jorgensen would later join for £22million.

The hierarchy since then has largely been clear. Sanchez is the undoubted first choice even after numerous high-profile mistakes. He briefly lost his place in the side at the start of 2025 but has since regained it. Under Pochettino he wasn't so lucky. Petrovic was far from perfect but he was deemed good enough to keep the gloves.

Sanchez lacks the support of his home crowd and has also appeared to frustrate those in his team on multiple occasions this season. Not only has his shot-stopping been erratic - flipping from stunning saves to unexplainable mistakes - but it is his work with the ball on the ground which is more grating.

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On Sunday, in the 2-2 draw to Ipswich Town, it was Sanchez's stray passes early on which initially brought about groans from the stands.

The effort went narrowly wide, but nevertheless, it was enough to bring loud boos from the vocal Matthew Harding End. Sanchez's response was to push Chelsea up the field, pumping a goal-kick long. 10 seconds later and Ipswich were two goals up.

He also highlighted why the players have been told not to turn to this method, ever.

"This is the moment that you have to continue doing the right things and don't change the plan," Maresca explained afterwards. "Also because we are a team that most of the time, our goal-kick will start from playing short.

"The second goal, we decide to play long, because the environment is there, and we concede the second one. You have to be strong, you have to continue with the things that you are doing."

This stance has been clear all season from Maresca. He is that steadfast in his ideas that he admitted last month "the good thing is that [Enzo] Fernandez knows that if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the ‘keeper plays long, I will change him. This is what we have.”

This has been his form of communication around Chelsea's problems in moving the ball from the back since the beginning. Even if it gets the team into danger at times, it is the only way to play, otherwise you will be out.

: "I'm not able to do a different kind of style. So, in case, I'm not the one to do a different kind of style."

The question now is how will Maresca deal with Sanchez going long? It was a moment from his goalkeeper which fundamentally breaches the principles and instructions. The fact that it then led to a goal only exacerbates what was already break in the rules.

Does this mean Sanchez will lose his place in the team? According to Maresca's previous comments, yes.

Jorgensen has been the go-to in this competition as he is rotated in. However, should Sanchez be picked, it would suggest that Jorgensen will feature at Fulham on Sunday.

Maresca has already said that his plan was never to switch between the two, regardless. "Since we started, the idea was not to change keepers, but sometimes you have to modify and be flexible with your ideas," he said in January.

"We do this in the game plan, we do this the way we want to attack, the way we want to defend, but also we need to be flexible on players. I think Robert needed some days off, or at least some rest mentally.

"Now he's back, hopefully we are not going to change until the end. Also because I said many times, we are quite happy with both keepers."

Since then there has been a reversion to Sanchez starting in the Premier League and Jorgensen in Europe.

Either way, Maresca's demands remain the same. "My message to Filip was if you play a long ball, I will change you – but it is difficult for Filip or Robert when he is playing," the Italian has said already this term.

“It is difficult for all the keepers, but they should just follow the plan.” This only continues what he set out at Leicester, where the messaging was even stronger.

“We won many games this year because of Mads [Hermansen, Leicester goalkeeper],” Maresca said last season. "It can happen. What cannot happen is that he starts to play long balls. Otherwise we are going to play the second keeper.

“I said many times, he’s a human being and can make a mistake. [Patson Daka. Leicester attack] can make a mistake missing a goal. Jamie [Vardy] can make a mistake. All the players. But unfortunately when you make a mistake as a keeper, you concede a goal. I have no problem at all.

“For me Mads was fantastic in the second half. He was not nervous but the people in the stadium were more nervous than him, for sure. But what I said to him: ‘Second half, when we play with you, if you play long, you go out. Continue in the same way.’ He showed personality. He continued to play short.”

Will Sanchez be afforded some leeway or is Maresca about to show his brutal side again?