Chelseavs.Southampton

On the back of Robert Sanchez taking his tally to mistakes directly leading to a goal in Premier League matches to five, Jorgensen has recently been promoted up the pecking order.

However, the Demark Under-21 international allowed a Marcos Asensio effort to squirm under his body in the final minutes against Villa to condemn Chelsea to a 2-1 defeat.

With Jorgensen having also partly been at fault for a goal in the previous 3-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion, his selection has become a hot topic for debate.

Speaking at a press conference prior to Tuesday's encounter with Southampton, Maresca has seemingly revealed how he plans to handle the situation.

Will Jorgensen start against Southampton?

Although Maresca has acknowledged that the 22-year-old currently feels dejected, he has hinted that he has no plans to demote him to the substitutes' bench.

As quoted by football.london, the Italian said: "He is okay. He feels a little bit sad and upset because he recognises it was a mistake but overall he is okay.

"If we need to change players every time there is a mistake, we will change many players but no, nothing has changed."

An easy decision to make?

Given how Sanchez has been backed by Maresca in the past, there should not necessarily be any surprise if Jorgensen retains his place in the team.

Despite keeping just four clean sheets in 21 Premier League appearances, Sanchez continued to have the public support of his head coach.

Jorgensen, by comparison, has failed to post a shutout in five top-flight outings, albeit with five coming in cup competitions since August.

A further factor that may come into consideration is the nine-day break that follows the clash with Southampton, Chelsea not back in action until they travel to Denmark for the first leg of their Conference League last-16 tie with Copenhagen.

Over a week away from action theoretically gives Maresca more time to consider how to address the lingering situation without it necessarily needing to be headline news.

Written by

Darren Plant