“What’s the definition of insanity again?” “See what other combos work!” – Chelsea fans question why 2 players are not part of starting line-up for Leicester game
Chelsea fans are unhappy with the exclusion of forward Christian Pulisic and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from the starting XI for their Premier League clash against Leicester City on Saturday, August 27.
The Blues take on the Foxes at Stamford Bridge as they try to overcome recent disappointments. The Blues played out a 2-2 draw against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur after dominating for majority of the game on Sunday, August 14. Thomas Tuchel's side were then hammered 3-0 by Leeds United last weekend.
The Whites opened the scoring at Elland Road via a horrific Edouard Mendy error. He dabbled on the ball for too long as Brendan Aaronson pressed the Senegalese to put it in the back of the net.
Chelsea fans were thus hoping that Kepa would replace Mendy in the starting lineup against Leicester.
Another player who has been put on the bench against the Foxes is Pulisic, who is yet to start a game this season. He has played just 57 minutes across three matches so far.
Tuchel opted to start Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz in the frontline alongside Mason Mount.
After the Chelsea starting lineup was announced, fans took to Twitter to share their disappointment at Kepa and Pulisic's exclusion from the starting XI.
Here are some of their reactions:
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchGlobal Bro… when are we going to start pulisic? Give that front 3 a break and see what other combos work!
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchGlobal What would Kepa have to do to get another chance ffs
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchGlobal cmon now when does Pulisic get a chance?
What’s the definition of insanity again?
Pulisic on the bench as Tuchel starts the same front 3 twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…
433 omg if only puli was playing twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…
Free Pulsic twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchGlobal Give kepa a shot after mendys performance against leeds
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchGlobal This is an injustice on Kepa. He should be starting over Mendy in this match.
twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…
Do you guys hate Kepa that much?
Give man a chance ffs 😒 twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…
Pulisic has played 118 matches for the Blues so far since joining from Borussia Dortmung in 2019, scoring 25 goals and providing 19 assists.
Kepa, meanwhile, has played 124 matches so far for the west London side since joining from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. However, he has been the second-choice keeper since Mendy's arrival from Stade Rennais in 2020.
Chelsea set to sign Wesley Fofana from Leicester City
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Thomas Tuchel's side are set to sign Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana this summer.
He will become Chelsea's seventh signing of the summer. They have already signed left-back Marc Cucurella, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and forward Raheem Sterling.
The Blues have also signed youngsters like goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina and midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei.
Fofana, 21, will sign a six-year contract with the Blues and is joining for a big fee of £75 million plus add-ons. The Frenchman has played 52 matches for Leicester City since joining from Saint-Etienne in 2020.