"Blame me"- Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel defends Kepa Arrizabalaga after Carabao Cup final loss
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has jumped to the defence of Kepa Arrizabalaga, stating that the Spaniard shouldn't be blamed for the penalty shootout Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool.
On an exciting Sunday night at Wembley, it was tough to separate Jurgen Klopp and Tuchel's sides as the scoreline remained goalless at the end of normal and extra time.
In the final moments of the match, the Chelsea boss decided to swap his goalkeepers and bring on Kepa for Edouard Mendy, who was sensational on the night.
However, things didn't go according to plan for Tuchel as the Spaniard was unable to stop any of the Liverpool players from scoring their penalties. To pile on the misery for Chelsea, Kepa blazed his spotkick into the crowd and handed the Carabao Cup to Liverpool.
🤯 What a shootout! Scenes in that @LFC end!
#EFL | #CarabaoCupFinal https://t.co/sr18lJF4VO
After the final, Tuchel said if anyone is to be blamed for the loss, it should be him as it was his call to make the substitution at the end.
"Do you think we do this and don't talk to the players? The players know the plan and we have done it before, said Tuchel. If you want to blame somebody, blame me; this is not a problem. I take the decisions and I don't take them to try to be the hero. Today it took 11 penalties to find the winner. And if you want to blame anyone blame me, there's no problem."
The Chelsea boss further commented, saying that Kepa shouldn't receive criticism for his penalty miss and sometimes these decisions don't come off.
"It is so bad for him of course, but no blame of course. We took the decision like we did last time in a penalty shoot-out, because Kepa is training with the players on a daily basis."
"They know how good he is and he simply has more time to do this than Edou (Mendy) on the training ground. This plays a huge part in how good we shot today. Unfortunately he could not save any, the pens were brilliantly taken."
"It was a bit harsh on him today to be the guy to miss the one and only penalty today but there's no blame. I take the decisions when I take the decisions and I only take them when I want to take them. I cannot re-judge my decisions after the outcome," said Tuchel.
Kepa has made some crucial penalty saves this season which helped Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup and progress in the FA Cup. However, Sunday proved to be one of the nights in his football career.
Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga issued a statement after the Carabao Cup loss
Kepa stated on Twitter after the Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool.
The Spaniard said he was disappointed with the result and thanked the fans for their support.
To fall and rise.
Disappointed after big effort during the tournament.
We keep working.
Thanks @chelseafc family for your support. https://t.co/yu2FkZlG4h
Tuchel and his men will now turn their attention towards the FA Cup as they travel to Luton Town for the fifth round tie. The Blues will then have an away fixture to Burnley in the Premier League as they look to have a firm hold on the third spot in the table.