Édouard Mendy, the Chelsea goalkeeper, learnt the hard way that life is a terrific leveller. Last Saturday, the Pensioners were defeated by West Ham United owing to a key error by Edourad Mendy. The Hammers pulled off a spectacular comeback to beat Chelsea at the London Stadium.
Chelsea went from first to third in the domestic league table as a result of that defeat. The Blues will now play their final matchday of the Champions League group stages. They travel to the Krestovsky Stadium to take on Zenit Saint Petersburg. Chelsea's primary goal in this match is to keep first place in the group ahead of Juventus. Ardent Chelsea fans have urged Tuchel to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in lieu of Édouard Mendy against Zenit on social media. Given that the Spanish goalie has already qualified for the next stage of the competition, there is no harm in putting him to the test. Since the Carabao Cup victory over Southampton at the end of October, Kepa has not played in goal.
Tuchel would be prudent to give Mendy a day off following his disastrous day at the London Stadium on Saturday. Although Chelsea's objective is always to win games, there's no harm in giving Kepa a chance against Zenit St. Petersburg.
Chelsea paid more than the goalkeeper's transfer cost in order to sign him in 2018. With a €80 million release clause, it became Kepa the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
Furthermore, Kepa has seen himself warm the frigid benches across the Premier League despite limited opportunities against the favourite Mendy. Tuchel must now rest his regular players while rotating his squad to keep everyone pleased. Kepa isn't just a filler by any stretch of the imagination. When given the chance, he has shone brightly to save his team's bacon. When he was called upon to stand in for Mendy against Tottenham, the 27-year-old had proven his worth. Even in EFL Cup games, the Spaniard was the most influential goalkeeper, as Chelsea won both games on penalties.
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