Chelsea manager Frank Lampard faces a dilemma over who will start in goal against Sevilla in tonight’s Champions League opener.
Goalkeeper has been something of a problem position for the Blues since Thibaut Courtois left for Real Madrid in 2018.
With neither Kepa Arrizabalaga or Willy Caballero inspiring much confidence and new signing Edouard Mendy struggling with injury, Chelsea’s troubles between the sticks looks set to continue.
Kepa’s blues
Kepa Arrizabalaga became the most expensive goalkeeper in football history when he joined Chelsea for £71 million in 2018. It’s fair to say he’s struggled to repay the Blues’ investment so far.
A string of errors contributed to Chelsea having the worst defensive record in the Premier League’s top ten last season.
Things haven’t been much better this year. In just three league appearances he has already committed three errors that have led to goals.
While some of Chelsea’s defensive woes can be blamed on their back line, Lampard seems to think the blame lies elsewhere.
When asked about the high number of goals his side are conceding, Lampard told the Standard: “I am aware of the stats and the other stat is that, since I’ve been here, we’ve conceded the second-least shots in the Premier League.”
On the Mend-y
Edouard Mendy was brought in from Rennes during the summer in an attempt to address the issue.
In his one Premier League start so far, the 28-year-old kept a clean sheet.
However, a calf injury picked up on international duty with Senegal means Lampard is facing a dilemma once more.
Mendy is in contention to play against Sevilla on Tuesday night. But the former Derby boss won’t want to risk aggravating the injury any further by playing him when not fully fit.
Who will play for Chelsea?
Lampard could turn to Caballero. He has trusted the Argentinian in big games before such as the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in August.
But he, too, has made mistakes this season. During the 3-3 draw against West Brom, Caballero seemed to draw criticism from his own teammate for an error in the Baggies’ opener.
It seems likely the Chelsea manager will take a gamble on the fitness of Mendy in what could be a pivotal game in their Champions League group.
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