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Five talking points from a very topsy turvy month at Chelsea

By Subhrajit Chowdhury

TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 29: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea gives his players instructions during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Juventus Stadium on September 29, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 29: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea gives his players instructions during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Juventus Stadium on September 29, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 19: Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 19, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /

After a brilliant first month of the season, Chelsea was sitting at the top of the table along with Liverpool. It was looking more dangerous than ever, and the players were looking sharp and ready to win every game that played in. Things were going quite well for the Blues and they managed to carry the same momentum in the second month, as well. Although September began brilliantly for Thomas Tuchel’s men, it ended in quite a disappointing and concerning manner.

The London side is currently sitting in third place behind the dominant Merseyside Reds and Manchester City. The Blues will be hoping to pick up their socks this month, as they cannot afford to slip up too many times in such a heated competition. This is the first time in years that four or five clubs are involved in the title race and all the teams from the second to sixth position have the same amount of points. October will be a crucial month for Chelsea where it will have to learn from its previous mistakes.

Thus, without any further ado, let’s take a look at five talking points from last month:

5. The goalkeeper union is stronger than ever

One of the best things that Frank Lampard did last season was bringing in Edouard Mendy. The player has single-handedly cured Chelsea’s defensive woes and has cemented himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. He was awarded the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year award and has started the season strongly, conceding only two goals from open play thus far. However, with the rise of one player, there is always the drop of another, and in this case, it was Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arrizabalaga was moved to the bench and Mendy was given all the major matches last season. The Spaniard did play the whole of the FA Cup, but the Blues lost in the final to Leicester City. This season as well, Arrizabalaga was the second choice. However, the camaraderie that they showed in the Super Cup final is well and alive. Mendy was injured for a couple of games and Arrizabalaga came into the limelight. Although he had not played since the Super Cup, the second choice keeper looked very confident between the sticks and managed to keep a clean sheet against a very sturdy Tottenham Hotspur team. He was also the penalty hero against Aston Villa in the League Cup which goes on to show that both the goalkeepers are happy and confident at the moment. Arrizabalaga is only 26 and if he can keep improving alongside Mendy, he can surely challenge the Senegalese for the main team.

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