#KepaArrizabalaga #MaurizioSarri #CarabaoCup #Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga says he has "full respect" for Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri following the chaos that saw him refuse to be taken off during extra time in Sunday's Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Chelsea lost 4-3 on penalties after the two teams failed to produce a goal in 120 minutes. Kepa pulled up with cramp minutes from the end, but he took to Twitter on Sunday evening to clarify what he called a misunderstanding:
Sarri wanted to withdraw his No. 1 in place of Willy Caballero, and the Chelsea chief was incensed by Kepa's show of defiance, appearing to almost walk down the tunnel at one point (h/t Sky Football):
Sarri tried to sub off Chelsea's goalkeeper, Kepa...but he refused to leave, and Sarri flipped out
(via @SkyFootball)
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Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton wrote in his Daily Mail column that Kepa—who was signed in the summer for £71 million and is the most expensive goalkeeper in the world—shouldn't be allowed to play for the club again:
"After this, Kepa should never play for Chelsea again. To point-blank refuse to be substituted is a disgrace. It's disgusting. I have never seen anything like it on a football field."It is a complete lack of respect from a player towards his manager."What kind of an example is this for youngsters up and down the country playing grassroots football?"
Save for a few words from center-back David Luiz, none of the Chelsea players intervened in the situation. BBC Sport detailed that after some disagreement between player and coach, Sarri clarified to referee John Moss that he didn't want to substitute Caballero on in Kepa's place.
The 24-year-old went on to concede four times in the penalty shootout, saving Leroy Sane's effort, but he allowed a limp-looking Sergio Aguero attempt to slip under his body.
Sarri tried to keep the peace in his post-match press conference and also said it was a misunderstanding at the time, via ESPN UK:
Those suggestions conflict with the message that was being portrayed at the time, and Sutton added Sarri should have criticized his 'keeper in front of the media:
"He could have saved face afterwards by coming out strongly and saying that Kepa would be sanctioned.
"Instead, he claimed the goalkeeper had done no wrong. We all saw Sarri's reaction on the bench when Kepa refused to come off. We all saw the way he stormed towards the tunnel.
"His post-match interview was a show of weakness. How are his players going to have any more respect for him after that?"
Many might struggle to accept Kepa has "full respect" for his coach after this episode.
Chelsea is back in Premier League action at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, with much attention centered upon whether Sarri retains Kepa following his Carabao Cup controversy.
byTom Sunderland February 25, 2019
byTom Sunderland February 25, 2019
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