Chelsea: Opposite directions of Giroud and Kepa, and other lessons learned

The rank incompetence of VAR is nothing new, but we’re still learning new things about just how incompetent those officials really are. That, along with two others, make up our lessons learn from Chelsea’s win against Tottenham.

Chelsea overcame Tottenham Hostpure in what was a surprisingly straightforward match. Nonetheless, the aftermath once again saw VAR dominate the headlines after another abysmal outing by those in charge at Stockley Park.

1. Olivier Giroud’s great comeback and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s continued demise

If Monday’s cameo appearance off the bench from Olivier Giroud was but a subtle reminder of what he is capable of as a striker in a team without a decent No. 9, then Saturday’s performance must have placed him firmly back into Frank Lampard’s plans come the fulltime whistle.

Having missed up to seven months of football through no fault of his own, Giroud, in just 90 minutes worth of football across two games, perhaps showed more desire, fight and heart to get back into the team than Michy Batshuayi did in his four years as a Chelsea player.

The Frenchman’s movements were so seamless that it was as though he had never even been away. Retaining his touch despite such a long layoff points to certain levels of commitment that he must have maintained in training as well as his vast experience as a striker. This level of professionalism from a player who understandably had his head turned by months of speculation linking him with a move away certainly paid dividends for Lampard.

The whole thing is nothing short of what Giroud deserves.

In a stage of the season as crucial as this, Giroud’s form and place in the lineup, coupled with Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s impending return, could prove to be the answer Frank Lampard needs in a bid to put together a strong run of form to carry Chelsea to the finish line.

Conversely, Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Spurs marks the third consecutive match in which Kepa Arrizabalaga has found himself on the bench.

As the fates of Pedro, Ross Barkley, Marcos Alonso and Giroud himself show, Lampard’s trust can be extremely difficult to earn yet surprisingly easy to lose. Having already lost his place to the Argentine, Chelsea’s No. 1 is not helped by Caballero’s positive display on Saturday.

If Arrizabalaga remains on the bench against Bayern Munich or Bournemouth, then he certainly will be on the lookout for a new club this summer.