In this set of articles we are going to go over who is guarding the goal for some of the top squads in the world. I wanted to start out with a squad like Chelsea because there is a bit of turmoil in the goalkeeping position at the London club. While it seems that for the moment at least as long as Thomas Tuchel is the man in charge Edouard Mendy is going to remain in goal there is still a chance that Kepa Arrizabalaga gets another crack at solidifying his place as the blue’s starter. Yet, the fact that essentially Chelsea has spent money on 3 goalkeepers in the past couple of years tells you the real story. It seems that this is a position that is not set in stone at the club just yet. Who is the top Goalkeeper for Chelsea in 2021?
I want to go over some of the main attributes that each of the 3 main goalkeepers on the squad bring to the table. I may throw in a nugget here and there in some of these articles and say that so and so should be starting over the current number 1. Although I doubt that it’s going to be the case for Chelsea. Their goalkeeper situation is an odd one at best. Since all 3 of their main goalkeepers have had a chance to start consistently for different clubs. One of the things that has plagued some of them throughout their careers has been inconsistency.
Starting Goalkeeper For Chelsea 2021: Edouard Mendy
If you’ve read my other article on the best goalkeeper in the Premier League you know that I included Edouard Mendy in the mix. What Mendy has brought to Chelsea has been a more consistent presence in goal. A lot of times being a safe and decent keeper is something that is certainly undervalued. Particularly, when we are talking about playing for one of the top clubs in Europe. Clubs want to have a game saver between the sticks. I just don’t see Mendy as that to be honest. He has a great build that he uses to his advantage in one on one chances. He is able to high point crosses on a relatively consistent basis. This is not something that the next two teammates that we are going to be talking about specialize in.
Just a couple of weeks back in the game against Atletico Madrid he showed off some of the things that I just don’t love about his game. He is not a goalkeeper that looks comfortable with the ball in his feet. That’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world for a keeper though in my book. This is a tip for young keepers out there, if you don’t feel that your game with the ball at your feet is all that strong obviously, work on it even kicking a ball against the wall and getting used to controlling hard passes is important. Above all though, don’t be afraid to clear the ball out live to fight another day. This is something that I see consistently in Mendy he “plays it safe”.
The biggest knock on Mendy could be exactly that. He usually plays it safe and his game is usually not as spectacular as some people would want it to be. Then again, if you look through the Thibaut Courtois you saw a lot of the things that we can criticize about their next two goalkeepers. Yes, some amazing saves, but then some instances where you just couldn’t believe that a goalkeeper of “his caliber” would be making those mistakes. A lot of times what happens is that certain goalkeepers get branded as top stars by the media and fans who really have no idea how to measure a decent goalkeeper. Keepers like Mendy get snubbed out frequently because they don’t have the signature moment or the press on their side. He is a solid option though and has proven a worthy investment.
Second String: Kepa Arrizabalaga
When a team pays 72 million pounds for your services especially as a goalkeeper it’s pretty safe to say that they are expecting you to start right away. There are a couple of things that just don’t make a lot of sense with Kepa Arrizabalaga. First of all, the way that he ended up at Chelsea is looking more and more like the dumbest financial decision that owner Roman Abramovich has ever made. When you have his kind of money you can afford such mistakes though. Yet, Chelsea decided to sell their starting goalkeeper who at the time was considered a top 5 keeper in the world to Real Madrid for 35 million pounds. Only to sign an up and comer who was only 2 years younger than the established started for double the money? What’s worse his play on the field has not been anything close to what you’d expect.
What has been his problem on the field? When you see top flight keepers or at least players that should be playing at a much higher level than they are making mistakes that are common in youth play and sunday leagues it’s certainly head scratching. Some of the main blunders that we’ve seen from Kepa have been in hand placement to headers or shots that are a bit more up close. If you’ve played in goal you know that at times you don’t have a lot of time to react to those balls. When coaches see these types of mistakes that’s when they talk about a keeper’s instincts being flawed. Those “instinct” issues are something that should be able to be polished out through repetition and proper coaching.
Do you remember that infamous moment when Kepa refused to come off the field when the coach tried to sub him out during a cup game? His time at Chelsea certainly came tumbling down from that moment where we are right now. Both that issue and some of his main problems in the technical issues that we talked about with hand placement to shots can be traced back to poor decision making. It’s hard to really judge from afar and give a verdict like I’m about to do right now. It just seems though that the high transfer fee and the pressure of being at a top flight club has been too much for the Spaniard. Goalkeeping is very much a mental game. When you lose concentration up there it shows in the decision making process. Kepa’s case seems to be the typical instance where the lights were just too bright for a guy.
Third String Goalkeeper For Chelsea : Willy Caballero
I remember Willy Caballero’s last really solid season. It was with that Malaga team that reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League. They finished sixth in La Liga and they gave eventual Champions League runners up Borussia Dortmund a run for their money in that exhilarating second leg game. That was the 2012 – 2013 season. It’s been 8 years and Willy Caballero has never reached those levels of consistency ever again. Even though Pep Guardiola wanted to make people believe that he could make him a consistent top flight goalkeeper. The Guardiola endorsement actually landed Caballero a starting spot for Argentina in the 2018 World Cup. His antics almost lead to a group stage exit for his country. He was subbed out for the final two games of the team in that tournament. Being “good” with the ball on your feet is not as important as Pep wants to make people believe. That’s why he has usually had subpart goalkeepers at the clubs he has managed other than Manuel Nuerer.
I wanted to calm down a little bit after that rant, but I just can’t. There is no reason why a top flight team should have a 38-year-old third string keeper. This position of third-string goalkeeper for Chelsea, in my opinion, should be reserved for youngsters that can start getting first-team caps in FA cup games. If you are looking for a solid and consistent backup I have no idea why you would look Willy’s way. Sure, he has had some decent penalty kick series that have helped the team. Yet, when he is asked to play a full game all that is consistent are his mistakes. He is the opposite of what Mendy is with the ball in his feet. Since, he thinks that’s one of his strengths he takes too many risks that often have led to goals.
At this point in his career it’s hard to see him being able to compete for a starting spot at Chelsea. People who defend his presence in the squad will point to the fact that he can have a mentor role. The goalkeeper coach for Chelsea is Petr Cech who is Caballero’s same age and actually was activated to play for the squad in case of a Covid outbreak. He’s seen minutes with the under 20 team this season already. If you have that type of experience in the building there is just no reason to be paying for Caballero’s wages. Not only that, but really he is taking a spot that can be filled by a young goalkeeper. Caballero is decent between the sticks at best a little on the short side for a prototype Premier League keeper. All around mistake prone. I don’t like him being there.
Yes, this is a Caballero highlight video, I know it looks hypocritical, but I wanted to make it up to old Willy after everything I said about him!
Goalkeeper For Chelsea Into The Future
If this where any other club management would probably be pushing really hard to get Kepa back onto the field. He has not been worth the transfer that was paid for him at all. If we were just talking about pure talent I don’t think there’s even a question that Kepa is the most talented keeper that the blues have on the roster. That’s not a knock on Mendy at all. As a manager of a top flight team Thomas Tuchel in my view made the right decision. Stick with the goalkeeper that you can trust to be consistent at a decent level even if you keep a more talented goalkeeper on the bench. In my view consistency and even predictability is way more valuable in goal than having that big save ability.
Chelsea is still in a bit of a rebuild mode. The team is filled with young talent, but quite frankly Frank Lampard’s inexperience as a manager shined through and did not allow him to build a winning squad. The German seems to have built a stronger squad in a short period of time. One of the problems that he is going to face though could be the expectations from management. For years in my view Chelsea has expected top results with oddly built squads that featured talent, but not a lot of cohesion. As far as goalkeeper for Chelsea goes it seems fair to say that Mendy will remain the starter pretty much as long as Tuchel is the manager. The problem is we don’t know how long that will be.
There could be a strong push from management as I mentioned to get Kepa another opportunity. In an effort to justify the enormous transfer fee that they paid for him. Even though I think Mendy has proven that he can hold down the position for the Blues with a decent playing level this is one of the more unstable goalkeeper spots in the entire Premier League in my view.
