Chelsea host to Everton for their last match before the international break. With Tottenham, Manchester City and the festive period on the other side of the hiatus this is an important test of momentum and preparation.
Two points separate the Premier League’s top three teams, all unbeaten. Only four more points comprise the gap to fifth-place Arsenal. The remainder of the top half trickle off from there, and Everton are in their usual place: just a few points out of the final European spots, but well out of reach of anything beyond that. Here are three things to look for as Chelsea welcome the Merseysiders.
1. Will Chelsea’s defence permit Kepa Arrizabalaga a clean sheet?
Kepa Arrizabalaga deserves more than his four Premier League clean sheet victories. Chelsea have allowed a single goal in four games, and most of those goals came off defensive errors that left Arrizabalaga helpless.
The Spanish goalkeeper is quickly becoming one of the highest-rated in the world, as much for his control of the game and distribution as his shot-stopping. Aside from those defensive errors the Blues do not concede many shots, and few of those come from threatening situations. Their expected goals-against (xGA) is the fourth-lowest in the league at just under 11. Thanks to Arrizabalaga, they are outperforming that stat by allowing only eight goals all season.
Since Arrizabalaga has few occasions to make an acrobatic or lightning-quick save (although he can, when the need arises), most of his best moments have been with the ball at his feet. His controlled passing and smart distribution make him a natural goalkeeper for Sarrismo, much as Ederson is for Pep Guardiola’s tactics at Manchester City. Arrizabalaga is gaining confidence as the season goes on. When the Blues maintain strong possession in the opponent’s half, he is playing a Manuel Neuer-style one-man high-line around the boundary of his third of the pitch. This allows him to return the ball quickly to Chelsea’s offence when the opponent clears, keeping the pressure firmly on them and nowhere near him.
Arrizabalaga also has one of the most important attributes a goalkeeper can have on his side: luck. BATE Borisov hit the woodwork three times on Thursday, and they are not the first team to think they have beaten Arrizabalaga only for the ball to ping back into play. He may be telepathic or he may just be #blessed. Whatever it is, it balances out for the inevitable David Luiz moments that no amount of fortune or prayer can withstand.
With Everton’s leading goalscorer, Richarlison, potentially out of the lineup due to injury, Arrizabalaga could have another quiet day at the back. If his defenders do their part to protect him, he can take a clean sheet into the international break and shift his attentions to displacing David de Gea from Spain’s XI.