Chelsea: Arrizabalaga’s sole mistake has been far too critically acclaimed

Kepa Arrizabalaga has become the undesirable No. 1 at Chelsea and with Liverpool visiting the Bridge on Sunday, he’ll be hoping to produce some magic.

Following Chelsea’s opening day win over Brighton, one player in particular has received more criticism than most. Kepa Arrizabalaga made one perceived mistake and as goalkeeping errors tend to do, it resulted in a goal conceded. Given the well-documented fact that the Spaniard had a difficult second season with the Blues, the belief that Frank Lampard wants a new No. 1 is an easy narrative to conjure.

Can this really be the case? Arrizabalaga is the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, that’s a fact. Is he the world’s best, perhaps not, but to throw him under a bus for one mistake in the first game of the season is brutally harsh. Chelsea recovered from Brighton’s equalising goal quickly and that would have eased Arrizabalaga’s blushes but it was one mistake. Frank Lampard, speaking post-match, said:

"“I am very happy with Kepa. With the shot, I’m not sure if he could’ve done any better. But I saw a bit more confidence in how he was playing. Kepa is here, he’s our keeper and I’m happy with him. If we are bringing in competition, it will be competition. That’s the nature of Chelsea and it goes throughout the squad.”"

Of course, he would say that. In the goalkeeper’s defence, the ball did bounce in front of him as the shot from Leandro Trossard skimmed across the pitch, but in the harsh world of shot stopping, it was still seen by some as a mistake. However, even if it was, the castigation was still way too much. The clamour for a new keeper from sections of Chelsea’s support is as unedifying as Thibaut Courtois’ efforts to return to Spain back in 2018.

Arrizabalaga is not looking to leave, why would he? He’s under contract until the summer of 2025 and at 25 years of age, he has plenty of shot-stopping in front of him yet. Whilst some former players turned pundits have been critical, Chelsea legend Rob Green has been defending his ex-teammate on Sky Sports,

"“He’s been getting a rough ride of late and he’s an easy target at the moment. It was a shot from distance, a strike from 24 yards. People have said he had a clear sight of the ball but there’s five players standing potentially in his line of vision. As a goalkeeper, others will have watched it and felt for Kepa as you can’t really adjust to a dipping shot. It’s in the lap of the Gods if you can keep it out. You can try to throw an arm down, like he did, but it’s the width of a hand, it’s two inches. That’s the difference between making the save and not.”"

With Liverpool heading to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Arrizabalaga will be in the spotlight once again. The questions Lampard has been fielding regarding the possibility of a new keeper won’t be helping the situation either. What the manager has said is that if someone comes in it will be to compete for a place in the starting XI with Arrizabalaga—and rightly so.

Arrizabalaga may be going through a tough time right now, but those writing off his career with the Blues are wide of the mark. His best years as a goalkeeper are still ahead of him and given the fee that was paid, Chelsea should stick by him. As fans and supporters, it’s our duty to do exactly the same.