Chelsea: Arrizabalaga ‘doesn’t makes the big saves’ says expert
Chelsea chiefs will be putting pressure on Frank Lampard after he dropped goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga at the weekend, says former Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood. Kepa had played every minute of the Premier League season before Saturday’s trip to Leicester. But Lampard saw it fit to drop the Spaniard to the bench and play 38-year-old Willy Caballero between the sticks instead.
Kepa has received some criticism for his performances in recent weeks and has the lowest save percentage in the Premier League.
Sherwood believes it was the right decision to play Caballero and says he has not been a fan of Kepa since he refused to be substituted during last year’s Carabao Cup final.
But he thinks the Chelsea board will be questioning the decision to leave out Kepa, who is still the world’s most expensive goalkeeper following his £71.6million move from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.
“The pressure’s more on Frank Lampard [than Caballero] because the hierarchy are looking and saying ‘Oh okay, richest goalkeeper in the world and you’re going to decide to drop him’,” Sherwood said on The Weekend Review.
Chelsea news: Tim Sherwood says Frank Lampard is under pressure after dropping Kepa Arrizabalaga (Image: GETTY/PREMIER LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS)
“I think he made the correct decision, I am not having Kepa [from] the first time he told [Maurizio] Sarri last year at Wembley he’s not coming off when he put his number up. I cannot have the kid’s attitude.
“Absolutely [dropping the goalkeeper is a manager’s biggest decision].
“Most responsible position on the pitch and it’s what he breeds to the rest of them around.
“Now, I think Frank would have spoken to [Antonio] Rudiger, spoken to a couple of other guys and they might have said to him ‘Caballero, because at the moment we can’t trust this boy behind us, Kepa’.
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“When it comes to a goalkeeper you probably do give it a little bit more thought and a bit more time, especially if someone seems to be the designated number one.
“That can’t be the end of the story. We have to be competitive.
“Willy trains well, he acts well and he played well against Hull last week. I decided to stick with him.”