Does Kepa deserve to keep Chelsea spot despite Mendy's return from AFCON?

 

As the Africa Cup of Nations drew nearer, Chelsea fans were worried at the impact the competition would have on their season. Edouard Mendy was the only Blues player to travel to Cameroon as he played a key role in Senegal's eventual AFCON success. Yet his absence meant Kepa Arrizabalaga would be first choice once more for the west London side. 

 

Since Mendy's arrival in 2020, Kepa has struggled for game time. The latter joined Chelsea from Athletic Club in 2018 as the world's most expensive goalkeeper, however struggled with the demands of English football. Kepa lost his starting spot to Mendy almost two years ago, but even in his sporadic outings in the capital, he was shaky. 

 

In 2020/21, no player committed more errors leading to an opposition than Kepa (3). He made seven league appearances that season. Head coach Thomas Tuchel has saved the 27-year-old for domestic cup competitions to hand him minutes, but the German's hand was forced as AFCON rolled around. In Mendy's absence, though, Kepa has fared well. 

 

When he did join, he was thrust into the spotlight given the fee and that he was replacing Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian one of the best in the business. A dip in confidence affected his and Chelsea's performances, and coupled with the pursuit, and subsequent signing of, Mendy, it was no shock that when Kepa was used, he struggled last season.

 

That said, the arrival of Mendy, while relegating Kepa to second choice, has, in the long run, proven a blessing in disguise. Granted, his playing time has been reduced considerably as a result of the arrival of the Senegalese shotstopper, but in doing so, Kepa has been taken out of the firing line and been granted plenty of time on the sidelines to re-focus and, at least mentally, improve. 

 

His first Premier League appearance of the season came in a 3-0 win at a Tottenham side then managed by Nuno Espirito Santo as Mendy was unable to feature due to injury. Kepa had little to do in a fairly one-sided victory in north London, though was solid when called upon, making two saves. Crucially is that he kept a clean sheet, a feat that would have done wonders for his confidence. 

 

While he did lose his place in the immediate starting XI after that victory, effective showings in cup competitions meant he was more than ready to deputise for Mendy when he did jet off for Cameroon with Senegal. And Kepa didn't really look out of place in the side when needed, at least compared to his outings in the previous campaign. Granted, Chelsea dropped points against Manchester City and Brighton, however Kepa can hold his head up high safe in the knowledge he did his chances of keeping his spot in the team no harm. 

 

The issue for Tuchel now is how does he continue with Kepa or bring Mendy back into the team when Chelsea's Premier League campaign gets back on track. The Blues are currently on Club World Cup duty with the latter linking up with his Chelsea teammates following Sunday's AFCON success against Egypt and after a gruelling run of games with the Lions of Teranga, the former is expected to retain his spot between the sticks. 

 

 

When Chelsea do resume domestic duties, though, Tuchel has a tough decision to make. It's not uncommon for teams to have two top quality goalkeepers on the books, and Mendy is arguably the better of the two for the Blues. For a confidence goalkeeper like Kepa, though, to drop him now would perhaps do more harm than good. 

 

"In the last few matches, I’ve felt him very reliable in his game," Chelsea assistant Arno Michels said of Kepa after their FA Cup win over Plymouth last weekend, the 54-year-old taking charge after Tuchel returned a positive COVID test. The Spaniard saved a Ryan Hardie penalty deep into extra time to earn the praise from Michels and it has certainly been deserved during Mendy's absence. 

 

Kepa was instrumental in Chelsea's progression to the Carabao Cup final as they beat Tottenham 3-0 on aggregate over both leagues - interestingly, four of Kepa's five clean sheets this season have come against Spurs - and it means that, with a WhoScored rating of 7.48, the 27-year-old is the best rated goalkeeper in the competition. Across both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, Kepa has the best save success rate of those to have made five or more appearances, saving 85.7% of the 35 shots on target he has faced. 

 

In addition, he has made more penalty shootout saves (7) than any other goalkeeper in Chelsea's history. No wonder Tuchel has placed his faith in Kepa in cup competitions. What happens next with Kepa and Chelsea, though, is a selection conundrum for Tuchel. It would take an injury for him to miss the Carabao Cup final at the end of February, but when Chelsea do get their league campaign back underway at Crystal Palace later this month, it will be interesting to see who starts in goal. 

 

As alluded to, Mendy is the better of the two goalkeepers, yet it's difficult to overlook Kepa's good form over the last few weeks and for a confidence player, to lose his spot would shatter his morale and undo all of Tuchel's good work in rebuilding the Spaniard's mental toughness. It's a predicament no manager would envy, however the Chelsea boss can take solace in that he has not one, but two, fine goalkeepers on the books and that, when push comes to shove, Kepa has proven a more than able deputy for Mendy that at least bodes well for the Blues in the future.

Does Kepa deserve to keep Chelsea spot despite Mendy's return from AFCON?