Joe Cole thought Chelsea man was ‘good’ in Bayern Munich defeat but is still a ‘work in progress’

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Joe Cole was able to take away some positives from Chelsea’s defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.

While Chelsea did trouble Bayern, in the end, the German giants were comfortable winners after beating their opponents 3-1.

The scoreline could have been worse had Robert Sanchez not pulled off a couple of really good saves.

Sanchez was recently defended by Roberto Di Matteo, who claimed that the criticism that the goalkeeper receives at times is “unfair”.

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Joe Cole impressed with Robert Sanchez’s performance

Di Matteo appreciates Sanchez, and so does another Chelsea legend in Cole, who lauded the 27-year-old after the game.

Discussing Sanchez’s performance on TNT Sports (17/09/2025 at 22:11), the former winger said: “He was good and he needs that. He’s building from the Club World Cup. I thought he had good performances. He was diligent and he made the right saves. He’s a work in progress.”

In the summer transfer window, Chelsea tried to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, which would have spelt bad news for Sanchez.

They failed, though, making Sanchez one of the winners of the summer at Stamford Bridge, with the Spaniard remaining as the team’s No.1 as a result.

Last season, Filip Jorgensen was Chelsea’s goalkeeper in Europe. But with the Blues back in the Champions League, Enzo Maresca wants to use his first-choice shot-stopper.

Robert Sanchez’s numbers vs Bayern Munich

According to Sofascore, Sanchez made three saves at the Allianz Arena, each coming after shots from inside the box.

His distribution was not terrible either, with the Spain international completing seven of the 14 long balls he attempted.

All in all, it was not Sanchez’s worst game. As Cole highlighted, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man was quite good, and had it not been for him, the Blues may have lost that match by even more goals.

They face Benfica in their next Champions League outing, which could see Jose Mourinho return to Stamford Bridge.

Following the sacking of Bruno Lage, it is being reported that Mourinho could become Benfica’s next manager. Chelsea and Benfica play each other on September 30, a game Maresca’s men will be desperate to win after their disappointment in Munich.