'Not how I work' - Rosenior sends clear warning to Sanchez and other key Chelsea stars
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has sent a clear message to Robert Sanchez and the rest of the players that there are no guaranteed starters in his team, as he demands competition.
It is not uncommon for a new head coach to give players in the squad a clean slate.
Of course, Rosenior would already identified the key players and why they are important to this Chelsea team in the first place.
However, the former Strasbourg head coach has made it clear that he wants to see internal competition among his players.
"It's the same for every position. I'm here to assess every position," Rosenior said on Thursday when asked if Sanchez remains his first-choice goalkeeper.
"I don't have number ones or number twos. That's not how I work.
"If you look at me at every club, there has to be competition. I work on performance, not just in the goalkeeping department, but in every position on the pitch.
"You have to earn your spot in this team. I have a very good squad. So for me, that's the message to all of the players.
"I don't have guaranteed number ones or guaranteed number nines. They have to earn their place in the team."
Sanchez's poor goalkeeping display was a big factor in Chelsea's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
That said, Rosenior insisted that one bad game does not nullify a good season the Spaniard is currently having overall.
"Rob's had an outstanding season. Filipe (Jorgensen) showed really, really good signs of his understanding as well against Charlton," he added about his goalkeeper options.
"But what I have to do is to find balance. I want to win now. I want to improve the team and put my stamp on it.
"And that's what we'll work on for Brentford."
Sanchez has kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season, the joint-second highest in the competition, behind Arsenal's David Raya.
According to FBRef, Sanchez has conceded about a goal fewer than expected (PSxG +/-), the 10th best in the league, which is higher than Raya, who has conceded about two goals more than expected.
Sanchez is also the second-best in the league in terms of dealing with crosses, having stopped 12.8 per cent of deliveries into the box, with only Newcastle United's Nick Pole (14.3 per cent) ahead of him.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.