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Paul Merson has blasted Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for his lack of preparedness in the Carabao Cup final penalty shootout against Liverpool.
The two teams played out an enthralling game of football for 120 minutes. Despite not troubling the scorers, the two teams went hammer and tongs at each other.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel replaced Edouard Mendy with Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has won three shootouts this season alone for the Blues.
Up against Liverpool, the Spanish keeper failed to save a single shot as the Blues lost 11-10 in the shootout. To make matters worse, he missed his own penalty, which led to the Reds winning the Carabao Cup.
Paul Merson was unimpressed with Kepa, who he felt could have done more during the shootout had he prepared better, especially against Mohamed Salah.
“I just couldn’t work it out. Chelsea would be Carabao Cup winners if Mendy was in goal. I can’t remember him [Kepa] getting near a penalty. Salah goes to the left all the time and he [Kepa] went the other way. The [Virgil] van Dijk one – he was standing on that side of the goal and he still never got near it. Have a rough idea what you are coming up against. Do your homework.”
Merson also believes Chelsea would have won had they kept Mendy in goal. The Senegalese recently won the AFCON 2021 and was terrific with his saves against Liverpool.
Merson wrote:
"That was the best game I have seen Mendy have for Chelsea - he was outstanding - so why would you change your goalie? He's playing the game of his life, red hot, can't beat him, and you go and change it?"
The 53-year-old added:
"Mendy's come to Chelsea, he's won everything and, at the end of the day, he's had the game of his life. He was 10/10, he was absolutely outstanding, so he is not going to be sitting there thinking anything because he played well."
Chelsea rally around Kepa Arrizabalaga
Despite missing the decisive penalty, Kepa Arrizabalaga kept his head up after Sunday's match. He was ably backed by his teammates on social media in a show of strong bonding amongst the players.
The Blues' next game will be against Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup on March 2.
