Kepa Arrizabalaga has Thomas Tuchel’s complete gratitude for the way he’s behaved since the pair became partners at Chelsea.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game against Crystal Palace, Tuchel had nothing but kind sentiments to sing about the Spanish shot-stopper.
Kepa has been hitting all the right notes recently.
He covered Chelsea’s goal extremely well whilst Edouard Mendy was dancing his way to Africa Cup of Nations success.
Mendy’s month absence allowed his understudy to jump into the spotlight and belt out a confident tune.
The 27-year-old kept Tottenham Hotspur at bay on three occasions, plus prevented Plymouth Argyle from causing a major FA Cup upset.
Those same gloves were on hand again to deny Al Hilal in the Club World Cup semi-final, providing the team with a platform to win the tie 1-0.
Kepa rather cruelly cut short
Unfortunately for Kepa, Mendy returned from the AFCON just in time for the showpiece event in Abu Dhabi.
A huge call had to be made by the manager: reward the number two for his recent efforts, or revert back to the first-choice goalkeeper.
Tuchel opted for the latter, but the final call cannot have been an easy one.
Some other players in Kepa’s position might’ve kicked up a fuss, yet rather nobly, he didn’t make even a minor moan.
“Full credit to Kepa. He is an outstanding character, a fantastic team player,” said Tuchel on the Spaniard’s reaction to missing out on the Club World Cup final.
“Did not experience many players who have the capacity to cope with the situation like he did.
“In the end, he comes at stronger of the situation than ever which is very nice to see because I can only say thank you on an almost daily basis of how much he gives to the team and how much he gives as a team player.
“It was an incredibly hard decision because he was a huge part in the semi-final to bring us to the final, with two or three big saves.
“Still, we would’ve done the same thing if it was the other way round.”
Luckily for Kepa, his attitude should stand him in good stead for a few of the fixtures coming up.
Most noticeably the Carabao Cup finale later this month.
Having played all of the previous rounds, the world’s most expensive goalie will surely stride out at Wembley to face Liverpool.
Being kind really can get you places, kids!
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