MY ACCOUNT
Chelsea coach Arno Michels said Kepa Arrizabalaga deserves the trust of the club after his crucial penalty save secured their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Plymouth Argyle.
The Blues fought back from a goal down to beat the League One side 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, Marcos Alonso netting an extra-time winner after Cesar Azpilicueta had cancelled out Macaulay Gillesphey’s shock eighth-minute opener.
Plymouth had a great chance to force a shoot-out after Ryan Hardie won a penalty from Malang Sarr in the 116th minute, but his tame effort was comfortably saved by Kepa.
The Spain international, who became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when he joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71.6million (€80m) in 2018, has not always proved reliable as a regular number one but his penalty record has been impressive.
In this season’s UEFA Super Cup, he came off the bench for the shoot-out against Villarreal and made two saves to seal the trophy for his side.
“It’s not about his penalty save but also about his performance, which was very good,” said Michels. “Since the last matches, I found him very reliable in his game, so we’re very happy with Kepa.
“He deserves our trust because he’s a fantastic guy who is doing constantly very good and reliable work in training.
“He has these strengths to save penalties and has shown it a few times now, in the [EFL] Cup twice and against Villarreal. Even in training, it is hard to beat him. He has the ability to read the mind of the player and what he’s going to do so we’re pleased he could save us today.”
Chelsea’s coaching staff took a collective approach to overseeing Saturday’s game as head coach Thomas Tuchel is isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
Tuchel was in contact with assistant coach and analyst Benni Weber through the contest as Chelsea eventually battled their way through.
“We saw it as a team effort with Zsolt Low, Anthony Barry and me as well, with Hilario and Benni included,” said Michels.
“We all felt a little bit excited because we’re used to having Thomas on our side, so it was definitely different, but the team made it very easy for us and helped us in our work. We felt very good and supported.”
Chelsea now head to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup, for which they will hope to have a few players recover from muscular concerns.
“Mason [Mount] felt it in extra time when he had a shot,” said Michels. “It was not a serious problem during the game, and he realised quickly that he felt pain, so we took him off and there will be further exams. Hopefully, it’s not too bad but right now I cannot promise what the situation is.
“Hakim [Ziyech] had a bit of a problem and Azpi with his hamstring. I wouldn’t say they are injuries, but we have a few muscular problems. Hopefully, they are only little ones, so they are back in training tomorrow [Sunday] or Monday.”
