Chelsea Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is confident that he will be able to turn around the situation he is in.
The 26-year-old Spanish international was brought to Stamford Bridge by Chelsea for a record signing fee of £72m in the year 2018 from Athletic Bilbao. He has largely struggled to maintain his consistency in the game under the weight of massive expectations.
Throughout his career in Chelsea, Kepa has been plagued by inconsistency and has faced serious questions about whether he is suitable for becoming the No.1 keeper in the long run. The Spain international has set a host of unwanted records in the Premier League since he joined Stamford Bridge two years ago.
The young Spaniard’s terrible form saw him moving down the pecking order under the coach, Frank Lampard from the starting XI during the previous season. Instead, Lampard opted old Willy Caballero in place of him.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has seemingly failed to take his opportunity and claim the spot permanently, despite being given a second lease of life this season.
”I feel good, strong, confident. It may not be the desired or dreamed situation, but sometimes we have to experience situations like this. I have the confidence to work and turn it around.”
“I do not have the feeling of being a substitute. We have three goalkeepers, and the level is very high. It is the coach who chooses the eleven, and we have to try to do our best and if we do not play, add as much as possible,” he said as per Sky Sports report.
He has made massive mistakes right from the first match of the League as he Leandro Trossard easily earned a goal by a manageable shot in Chelsea’s 3-1 Premier League victory over Brighton. It was a shot that Chelsea could have avoided conceding to keep a clean sheet.
In the second match, lack of trust between the defender and keeper resulted in a red card as Christensen tried to stop Mane. Following this, the keeper gifted Sadio Mane the second goal during the defeat to Liverpool by misplacing a pass.
All these have broken the trust between the players and the keeper and not only that, the fans are protesting to bench him in crucial matches.
Kepa is currently with the Spanish national team to face Portugal in a friendly match. They will face Switzerland and Ukraine in the Nations League before he will join the West London club.