Chelsea shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga has explained that he was ‘stunned’ at being dropped by club manager Frank Lampard but expects himself to start for Chelsea in their upcoming Premier League encounter against fierce rivals Manchester United.
The 41-year-old Lampard made the bold decision to axe the under-performing goalkeeper Kepa for Chelsea’s trip to the King Power Stadium to face up against Leicester City before the two-week winter break, as veteran Willy Caballero started in goal.
The West London giants made Kepa the most expensive shot-stopper in history when they signed him for £72million from Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018 but the Spaniard has come under heavy criticism this campaign.
According to the most recent reports, Kepa was ‘stunned’ at being dropped for the clash against Brendan Rodgers’ side, even though Chelsea head coach Lampard had warned the Spanish star that his performances must improve. And it is claimed that Kepa expects to return in the starting lineup for the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Monday night. The 25-year-old is said to have held talks with Lampard this week and is eager to respond to his axing in the right manner and rediscover his top form between the sticks. Chelsea has enjoyed a rather superb start to the new season under club legend Lampard and, while results have been a bit sketchy of late, the Blues still remain inside the top four.
Chelsea is currently six points ahead of Manchester United in fourth place while the Red Devils sit in 8th position on the table, however, Lampard will want to pull away from the remainder of the pack to book that fourth spot.
