Mauricio Pochettino praises ‘fantastic’ Chelsea star who has seized onto his opportunities

Chelsea goalie Dorde Petrovic secures praises from Mauricio Pochettino in Aston Villa draw

It can be laborious to get used to a new league and country, build connections with new teammates and adjust to the surroundings, but for Dorde Petrovic, that hasn’t been the situation since he joined Chelsea.

The Serbian goalkeeper had to wait for a long time to make his Chelsea debut, and when Robert Sanchez got injured, his time finally came, and his performance on the pitch has seen him heap praise.

His signing now looks more like a bargain from a Major League Soccer side, as Sanchez will now have big competition to become No. 1 between the sticks. The 24-year-old was again at his best against Aston Villa and pulled some astonishing saves.

And he deservingly received credit for his performance from the gaffer during the post-match press conference, (h/t Football.London), where the Argentine manager said:

“He’s doing fantastic. I think we need to give full credit because he arrived this season at Chelsea from the MLS. He’s really young, and he’s performing well. I think the way he is behaving towards the goal shows his quality, and his character is amazing. I think he’s doing an amazing job.”

He was a wall, and the way he protected Chelsea’s goalpost makes Sanchez’s position as No. 1 doubtful because, had Sanchez not suffered an injury against Manchester United, we might have never seen the Serbian potential, and now he has impressed the 51-year-old, who will hope to rotate the No. 1 spot between Petrovic and the former Brighton & Hove Albion goalie.

Petrovic has demonstrated a stunning knack for saving shots after a prolonged absence we finally have had some excellent goalkeepers who now appear unfazed by long shots or corners taken by the opposition.

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Because Petrovic rises when our defence is frequently battered, he has demonstrated his poise in the net and hopefully will keep working to build an identity for himself.