As Chelsea looks to finish out the Champions League group, what key clashes are worth looking at when only bragging rights are on the line?
No matter what happens, Chelsea will finish first in the group. By virtue of head to head, Krasnodar is guaranteed third. Nothing in this match or the other match changes the table beyond academics. So what key clashes are there to look for with nothing to play for besides pride?
1. Kepa Arrizabalaga versus himself
It was always a question of when Edouard Mendy wouldn’t start for the first time and what the reaction would be. Shock? Surprise? Beyond that, there would have been the question of who it would be in his place. Frank Lampard took the edge off that announcement by straight up saying Kepa Arrizabalaga would start.
The last match Arrizabalaga played for Chelsea was the 3-3 draw against Southampton. The last match he kept a clean sheet in was for Spain against Portugal 10 days prior. To find a Chelsea clean sheet, one would have to go all the way back to Norwich in July.
It isn’t surprising that Chelsea brought in a keeper to bench Arrizabalaga. It isn’t surprising he hasn’t played since Mendy has been fit to play. But what was initially supposed to be simple competition to give Lampard options has turned into Chelsea finding a diamond in the rough in an amazing keeper.
It will be a big day for Arrizabalaga, dead rubber or not. It is probably safe to say that his time at Chelsea is on a clock now, a matter of when not if. A clean sheet ultimately won’t change his situation, nor will a good performance. Even still, it will be needed both for himself and the team. Even one goal scored regardless of circumstance will be met with a reaction of “but of course” and that is something Arrizabalaga cannot afford with his career in the balance.
If Arrizabalaga is to find a new club in January or even next summer, he has got to start a new portfolio now. He can’t control everything, but the biggest obstacle in his way will only be himself.