The ink had barely dried on the last published article on The £71.6 Million Man and he’s back again on the headlines, this time for his “response” to a mandatory substitution ordered by the Chelsea FC Manager Maurizio Sarri in the Carabao Cup Final against Manchester city FC.

Going into this game, the Chelsea Manager was under immense pressure as rumours were floating about regarding the loss of respect and confidence from the players in his style of management. There were even speculations that Sarris tenure as the Chelsea Boss was coming to an abrupt end as he continues to manage the team under such under the microscope conditions. It was only a matter of time before the true nature of the manager/players relationship would be exposed, and unfortunately for Sarri, this was witnessed live by millions of viewers in the most profound feelings of emotions displayed between the manager and his goalkeeper. During the dying minutes of extra time as the game was tied 0 – 0 and was likely heading to penalties, Kepa twice went down through injury (cramps was claimed). Now knowing that he (Sarri) had a very capable goalkeeper in penalty saves in the form of Willy Caballero, Sarri called for the substitution to be made and at this moment the dramatic scenario began. Kepa refused to be substituted, basically going against his managers decision. What followed next was one of the most unusual heated exchange of words and remonstrations between manager and goalkeeper in a top professional level, meanwhile the sub goalkeeper was confused as to what was going on.

After some conversation with the officials about what looks to be a stand-off between the manager and the goalkeeper, eventually Sarri had to succumb to the embarrassing saga and let the goalkeeper stay on the pitch. His disappointment was evident by his emotional reaction which threatened to lead him to walk out of the stadium! Remember this is a manager that is under pressure for allegedly losing the respect and discipline of the players. Even the Chelsea FC captain of the day César Azpilicueta did not intervene in the situation which makes it all rather painful to watch.

These are some of the main problems the modern game faces especially with money and player power having a massive influence. On social media platforms many have argued that the goalkeeper did the right thing by disobeying the manager because as they put it.. “Kepa has earned the right to be involved in the penalty shootout” despite going down twice and calling for medical assistance on the dying seconds of the game. Others claim that because Willy had a great record in saving penalties in shootout, the manager wanted to make a tactical change, which is unfair to Kepa. As a goalkeeping coach, I would reiterate that non of these arguments hold water as the managers decision is final and must be respected regardless. If one feels aggrieved for whatever reason that must be sorted out afterwards because one must be aware that football/soccer is a Team Sport, just like many other sports and not an Individual Sport where the ego takes centre stage. It the same ego that led to Kepa overriding his thinking because he seeked personal gratification by staying on for the penalty shootout, which he failed.

Manchester City FC won the shootout and the Carabao Cup to their credit. At the press conference after the game, it was all about PR and scripted narratives from Chelsea FC as Sarri attempted to convince the media and the watching masses that a “misunderstanding of communication” between the coaching staff and their medical team lead to the scenes, which is contradictory to what was witnessed live. What makes this more astonishing was a few days later Kepa being fined a weeks wages for his outburst against the manager, and he was dropped to the bench in their next league home game against Tottenham Hotspur FC which they won 2 – 0, and we were all lead to believe the incident was a misunderstanding of communication? This infamous incident has become the mockery of social media engagements and football fans alike, in many cases condoning his actions. My concern is that the next generation of goalkeepers could see this behaviour as acceptable and justified, although there a growing number of condemnation as the logical stance. Many would claim his youthfulness and enthusiasm as an excuse but for the amount of money ( 71.6 Million Pounds ) spent on him to be a Chelsea FC player, I would expect him to have an advisor on professional matters relating to the psychology and wellbeing of having the responsibility of becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, baring in mind that the price isn’t all a reflection of the objective part of his abilities, but most of the subjective part of his market value.

In conclusion, Kepa Arrizabalaga will learn a lot from this experience as expected because he’s a young man growing in wisdom. Although we are quick to pass judgement on situations like this, we need to step back an put ourselves in the scenario and be truly honest with ourselves and ask the question.. “would I have done the same thing Kepa did?” I as a passionate goalkeeper would not have stepped the mark but I would have made my feelings known indeed after the game, but that also depends on the outcome. Ultimately one must respect the managers decision regardless of one’s personal feelings as decisions are made for the benefit of the team, and not the individual…

You Are The Ultimate Keeper Of Your Destiny.. ULTIMATE KEEPER