"Not one day" - Thomas Tuchel admits he has never seen 'calm and focused' Chelsea player nervous
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has made a huge revelation about goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga ahead of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The German boss revealed he's never seen the player nervous or lacking in confidence before a match.
Kepa became Chelsea's most expensive goalkeeper when he was signed from Athletic Bilbao for a mammoth £72 million in 2018.
However, the Spaniard's erroneous displays led to him losing the starting spot to Edouard Mendy after he arrived from Rennes, two years later.
"I have never experienced him jealous or unhappy"
Thomas Tuchel says he has complete faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga to step up and fill Edouard Mendy's shoes which the latter is away at #AFCON2022 https://t.co/n0pTUjWvuu
He's now firmly second behind the Senegalese in the pecking order, with most of his appearances limited to cup games.
The Spanish shot-stopper was also in goal for their Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham last week, even keeping a clean sheet as the Blues ran out 2-0 victors.
With Mendy currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Kepa is all set to line up against Spurs once again for the decisive leg tomorrow.
When asked about how much of a big occasion it was for him, Tuchel replied:
"I have never experienced Kepa nervous, not one day, or jealous or not happy for his colleague. The good thing is that there is genuine trust in Kepa when he needed to play for us and I felt the same from him, he was very calm and focused. "
"I have the feeling he felt that he doesn't need to show just in these 90 minutes that he is capable. We trust him."
Kepa's repeated mistakes in goal have seen him get reduced to an internet meme in recent times, but more recently, he's turned out to be reliable whenever called upon.
In seven appearances this season, he's kept a clean sheet four times, including in his only Premier League match, which also came against Spurs.
Kepa is turning a new leaf at Chelsea
First-team chances are limited for him but Kepa is proving himself at Chelsea once again with assured displays.
As Mendy is likely to remain out for the rest of the month, he will have plenty more chances to prove his mettle.
Thomas Tuchel on Kepa Arrizabalaga:
"He does not need to [say he wants to be number one] because I know it. It's not even a chance, it's what he deserves. That's why he's here. He's here to to play. He's an outstanding character and a fantastic goalkeeper."
[via @SkySports]
The Spaniard's confidence between the sticks against Tottenham last week showed he's up for the challenge.
For the first time in a long time, he's earned the praise of his manager, and seems to be winning back the trust too.