Maurizio Sarri has admitted he is yet to make a decision on whether Kepa Arrizabalaga will start for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
The Blues manager has said his final choice between Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero will “send a message” to the Chelsea players regardless.
Why could Arrizabalaga be dropped against Spurs? Five key things to know…
- Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted in the final moments of extra-time in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
- Sarri reacted angrily at the time but in his pre-match press conference the Italian said the incident was a “misunderstanding”.
- Arrizabalaga issued an apology and has been fined a week’s wages by Chelsea, but there are question marks over his right to start against Tottenham.
- Chelsea are in need of all three points on Wednesday night – they currently trail fourth-placed Arsenal by three points.
- Kepa has kept 11 clean sheets in 26 Premier League appearances so far this season, conceding 29 goals.
Sarri’s position has faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks following back-to-back embarrassing league defeats on road – Chelsea lost 4-0 at Bournemouth and 6-0 at Manchester City.
As a result, the Londoners are desperate for all three points against Spurs, making Sarri’s goalkeeper decision all the more important.
Asked whether Arrizabalaga will start between the sticks, Sarri said: “I don’t know, I have to decide.
“Maybe yes. Maybe no. I think he is fit. I have to decide for my group. I want to send a message to my group.
“The message could be Kepa is on the pitch, or Kepa is out of the pitch.
“I have to decide what is better for my group.
“He made a mistake, a big mistake. There are some consequences. If the consequence is to play, he has to be ready to play. If the consequence is the bench, he has to be ready to go to the bench.”
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Sarri: “We need to be tolerant”
Sarri went on to say that although Arrizabalaga was at fault with his actions at Wembley, the situation is now in the past ahead of an important run of fixtures.
“In this club there are some rules, so he has to accept the club’s decision,” Sarri added.
“He made a big mistake, but we need to be tolerant. We don’t want to kill him. So that is the position of the club.
“After yesterday, for me, the situation is finished. He is a young player and made a mistake, but stop. If I am sure that he understood that he made a really very big mistake, for me it’s finished.”
Caballero, who will start in Arrizabalaga’s absence if the Spaniard is dropped, conceded three goals against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last season in a 3-1 defeat for Chelsea.
The post Sarri: My Kepa decision will “send a message” to Chelsea’s players appeared first on Squawka News.
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