Kepa: Rising like a phoenix from the butts of Maurizio Sarri’s ashtray

It’s the Carabao Cup final weekend and Chelsea has another trophy to fight for on Sunday. An old enemy is the opponent, and for one player in particular, a chance of atonement beckons. Picture Kepa Arrizabalaga wildly gesticulating towards the Blues’ bench as a penalty shoot-out was about to ensue in the 2019 Carabao Cup final. Imagine Maurizio Sarri stomping around on the touchline before storming toward the tunnel in frustration. Time tells us that one of those two came through that unedifying incident better than the other.

Perhaps more pertinent right now would be to envisage a writer of a certain age having the opportunity of one final blast at the Chelsea favourite—love him or loathe him—Italian manager. Before I start, I will say Sarri did leave Chelsea on his way back to Italy, of his own accord, having dedicated the Europa League final win to the fans of his former club, with the said trophy. If Cesar Azpilicueta has been fortunate to have won so much with the Blues, as former Sheffield United manager-turned-pundit Neil Warnock recently said, he might say Sarri was lucky to have managed Chelsea. For once, he’d be right.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has risen from the ashes at Chelsea since the infamous 2019 Carabao Cup final substitution incident featuring former manager Maurizio Sarri

Looking back at that afternoon in February 2019, Chelsea had played well against a Manchester City side that had pumped the Blues 6-0 two weeks earlier. Arrizabalaga had played a decent game. Deep into extra time, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper appeared to have a problem. Whether that was cramp, an injury or simply an attempt at time-wasting was unclear at the time. From the Spaniard’s point of view, it was the latter. The manager clearly saw something else.

It all kicked off with Willy Caballero on the sidelines waiting to come on and the fourth official telling Arrizabalaga his number was up. We all know what unfolded and what the outcome was; it wasn’t pretty by any means. Sarri may have wanted Caballero on with a penalty shoot-out imminent because he was better at saving penalties and would have inside knowledge of City’s players. All right and proper, we’ve seen Thomas Tuchel use that ploy in Arrizabalaga’s favour this season. However, watching on, it didn’t seem as though it had been discussed prior to the game.

Arrizabalaga should have left the Wembley pitch when asked to do so by his manager. There’s player power and then downright insubordination. The Spaniard didn’t cross the touchline, but he did, nonetheless, cross the line. That said, Sarri’s obsession in sticking to ‘his’ style of football ultimately proved counterproductive once again and City picked up the cup.

Sarri is now long gone and Arrizabalaga has stayed. Despite having to play second fiddle to new No. 1 goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, he has kept his head down, trained well and as a result, improved his match performances. Chelsea is fortunate to have two of the best goalkeepers in the world at the club. Throughout this season’s Carabao Cup competition and whenever called upon, ‘my keeper’ has performed outstandingly.

Another ‘top pundit’ and former Blue, Craig Burley, probably thinks the League Cup is not worth the bother—he’d be wrong, as usual. It’s a competition Chelsea has always taken seriously. Assuming Tuchel picks him, it could very well be Arrizabalaga’s day and that more forgettable day back in 2019 can vanish from our minds in a puff of stale smoke.