Free agent Willy Caballero has revealed that he would have been substituted for Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy in the final of the 2020/21 Champions League against Manchester City (1-0), had the match gone all the way to penalties.
Following their Champions League triumph, Chelsea added another European trophy to their cabinet recently, in the form of the UEFA Super Cup. The match against the defending Europa League winners, Villarreal, ended 1-1 after extra-time.
Thomas Tuchel made a substitution two minutes before penalties, which left fans scratching their heads. He substituted the starting goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Ever since his arrival from the French outfit Stade Rennes, the Frenchman has hardly put a foot wrong in the Chelsea colours. On the contrary, Spanish custodian has had many performances to forget, which has subsequently made him Tuchel’s second-choice.
Hence, the decision to bring Arrizabalaga on for penalties was not something many saw coming. However, by the end of the match, that decision was being termed as a ‘masterstroke’.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper saved two spot-kicks, from Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol, which won the Blues their second Super Cup title.
Asked about whether the substitution was spontaneous, Tuchel revealed that it was a pre-planned move. The German explained that prior to his first knockout game in charge, which was against Barnsley in last season’s FA Cup, his team analysed many penalties.
They came to the conclusion that Willy Caballero, who was Chelsea’s third-choice goalkeeper at that time, was the best goalkeeper for penalties, while Kepa was second on that list, whereas Mendy happened to be their third choice for penalties.
In an interview with Goal, Caballero himself confirmed Tuchel’s statement:
“ He (Tuchel) did that in the Super Cup because Kepa was better at saving penalties than Edou,”
”I was losing my motivation”: Caballero on his decision to leave Chelsea
Caballero is currently a free agent after his contract with the London club expired at the end of last season. In his four-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the 39-year-old veteran has made 38 appearances and won three trophies.
Reports suggest that the Chelsea board offered him a contract extension. Caballero has revealed that he did not want to play the role of a third goalkeeper, which made him turn down the offer.
“Some people didn’t understand why I turned down a contract as a third goalkeeper. I believe I am playing at this age because I have always been motivated.
As a third goalkeeper last season, I found it really tough. It was my first season as a third-choice goalkeeper. I was losing my motivation at Chelsea.
I believe for this reason to not renew with Chelsea, to try to find a new challenge to keep that passion alive inside,”
Caballero explained.
The Argentine goalkeeper plans to enrol in an MBA in Sports Finance degree and become a goalkeeper coach in the future, but for the time being, he is fully focused on playing football for a few more years. He had a trial with Brentford and was also involved in a camp in Malaga, organised specifically for the free agents.
