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Chelsea: Top three performers from the month of September

By Subhrajit Chowdhury

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea celebrates with Mateo Kovacic and Timo Werner after scoring their side's third goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea celebrates with Mateo Kovacic and Timo Werner after scoring their side's third goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Reece James after winning in the penalty shoot out during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Reece James after winning in the penalty shoot out during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

3. Kepa Arrizabalaga

One of the biggest improvements since Tuchel took over has been in the goalkeeping squad. Kepa Arrizabalaga was the world’s most expensive keeper, but also an error-prone individual who has just lost his confidence and his skills in his second season with the club. Frank Lampard could not help out the shot stopper and instead decided to bring in a new player from Rennes named Edouard Mendy. Mendy quickly became the No. 1 choice for the Blues and Arrizabalaga was shifted to the bench indefinitely. However, when Tuchel took over, he recognized the quality and potential of the Spaniard and decided to incorporate him into the team.

Last season, he was the FA Cup goalkeeper and this season, he has become the penalty king. He has been steadily improving away from the first team and he is the No. 1 choice for Tuchel in the penalty shootouts. Arrizabalaga proved his worth against Villarreal in the Super Cup tie and he has once again shown his true skill in the matches against Tottenham and Aston Villa. He was a key part of the victory in both of those matches and it is really unbelievable how much he has improved since last season. He has stopped making silly errors, he is much more confident and he has the ability to collect the ball from corners, even though he is not the tallest keeper around.

Arrizabalaga’s display against the Lily Whites was especially exceptional due to the number of times Chelsea’s derby rival pushed it in the first half. He also closed down Son Heung-min twice in a one-vs-one situation. Arrizabalaga was a real saviour for the Blues in the first half. Not only that, in the match against Villa in the League Cup, he was once again the penalty king for Chelsea. Supporters must recognize his growth as a player and a person.

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