Thomas Tuchel refuses to reveal if Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place as Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper against Luton as he defends the Spaniard after his penalty shootout nightmare in the Carabao Cup final defeat by Liverpool
- Thomas Tuchel refused to reveal whether Kepa Arrizabalaga will play at Luton
- The Spaniard missed from 12 yards as Chelsea lost to Liverpool at Wembley
- Kepa was brought on specifically for the shootout against Jurgen Klopp’s side
- Tuchel did not reveal whether Kepa or Edouard Mendy would start the FA Cup tie
Thomas Tuchel has refused to reveal whether Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place as Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper against Luton Town on Wednesday night.
The Blues take on the Championship side in the fifth round of the FA Cup just days after they suffered penalty heartbreak in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Kepa replaced Chelsea’s No 1 Edouard Mendy specifically for the shootout on Sunday but failed to stop any of Liverpool’s efforts before blazing over the bar to hand Jurgen Klopp’s side the cup.
Thomas Tuchel has refused to reveal whether Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place at Luton
The Spanish stopper missed from 12 yards as Chelsea lost to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final
The Spaniard has been Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper this season but Tuchel refused to say whether or not he will play at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night.
But the German did defend the Spaniard, pointing out that he saved crucial penalties to carry Chelsea to the Carabao Cup final – and the FA Cup fifth round.
‘He brought us to Wembley. We already needed two penalty shootouts and he saved the decisive penalties for us,’ Tuchel said on Tuesday.
‘So he was hugely involved and responsible that we had this final. He won the penalty shootout in the Super Cup. He’s responsible that we have a match tomorrow (on Wednesday) because he saved the penalty in extra time against Plymouth.
‘He did his job in a fantastic matter but the penalties were well taken and it was not on our side the momentum in the shootout.
‘To blame a goalkeeper for missing would be like if you blame a player from outfield for not saving a penalty. It’s simply not his job.
The Spaniard has been Chelsea’s cup goalkeeper this season but his place at Luton is unclear
‘I will never stop loving this game that we played. I will keep it as a memory… if we don’t win a title I cannot jump off a building.’
Tuchel added: ‘As long as we play like this with full commitment and quality in games like this, I am a happy coach. Can I guarantee titles? No. I never did.’
Tuchel also revealed that defender Trevoh Chalobah underwent surgery in the dressing room at Wembley after suffering a ‘proper cut’ near his groin.
‘They were stitching him up. I could not believe it,’ Tuchel said.
‘They were doing the stitches, I just heard him scream. It looked horrible… I could not believe he played one more minute with this kind of injury but he played the rest of the match and scored a penalty.
‘This is really big. I would say he has shown some balls but that would be the wrong line.’