Prior to the weekend game against Brighton, Frank Lampard confirmed Kepa Arrizabalaga retains the first-choice goalkeeper status the player regained earlier in the season. In a sign of further backing, the caretaker manager handed him the captain’s armband for Saturday’s match.
Now ahead of the next game, versus Real Madrid tonight, it has been Kepa’s turn to talk about his involvement, and he is certainly not thinking back to when Lampard was previously head coach and Edouard Mendy became the more regular choice.
‘It was three years ago, it was a different situation. Everything is different. Now I am playing,’ Kepa said.
‘Frank came here again, he is our manager and he is taking his decision every game and when he picks me to be in the starting 11, I am trying to be my best.
‘It has been a very positive season for me personally,’ he adds. ‘I think the last two seasons I have played 15 games per season, now I am playing more. I am feeling well, I am feeling with confidence and I am enjoying it on the pitch.
‘Obviously the season in general is not the best one but personally I am happy with my season.’
Although he was beaten twice by Brighton in the 2-1 defeat on Saturday, Kepa did pull off several good saves. It is, he highlights, the best way rather than words to win over anyone with doubts.
‘The fans can have different opinions about different players – what I can do is deliver my best, work every day, try to perform in the best way and try to help the team. This is my job, this is what I am doing in the last five years. What I am doing is to try to do my best to win games, to win trophies, and to make this club a success.
‘It is my home for five years now,’ Kepa emphasised. ‘I am very happy to be here of course. I am feeling at home and I am enjoying this journey we had in the last few years.’
During his years at Chelsea, Kepa has built a strong reputation for saving penalties, a skill which might come in very handy tonight against Real Madrid. For once, the 28-year-old says a penalty shoot-out would be a favourable outcome given it means the Blues would have clawed back a two-goal deficit, but he says there has been no special practice for that eventuality by the potential penalty-takers.
‘We do not think too much about penalties for this game. We are focusing on many other areas we have to think about before it. If the game arrives at penalties then we are looking at everything and we know everything and I think we have good players in this area, but they are training during the weeks on penalties, not just these past two days.’