Kepa Arrizabalaga has been warned that he could face an awkward end to the season at Chelsea following Frank Lampard's arrival. The 44-year-old has been appointed as the Blues' caretaker boss until the end of the season, while higher-ups at the club continue their pursuit of a permanent head coach.
The Spaniard was, for the most part, preferred by Lampard during their time together at Stamford Bridge, featuring 47 times between the sticks for the Englishman. Kepa struggled to impress under his stewardship, encouraging the former Everton manager to sign a new shot-stopper.
As a result, following Petr Cech's instruction, Edouard Mendy was welcomed to the club and kept his teammate out of the side. Then, in June 2022, nearly 18 months after Lampard was sacked, Kepa slammed the club's all-time top goalscorer for his choice of tactics – or lack of.
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In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, Kepa explained what improvements Chelsea made following Thomas Tuchel's appointment. He said: "We came from a game that wasn’t so elaborate. [Under Lampard] we didn't have to bring the ball out from the back, a game that was less planned, more to the free expression of the player, back and forth and less control.
"With [Thomas] Tuchel, we have gone back to control. It’s true that in the Premier League, we weren’t close to the top two, but in the other tournaments we’ve been very competitive."
With Lampard back at Cobham training ground, Kepa has been told to expect an awkward end to the campaign. Speaking to ESPN FC, former Chelsea ace Mario Melchiot said: "You know how hard it will be for Kepa to be in the dressing room?
"You had a go at your coach and that coach comes back and now you have to sit with him. Oh my God… I don’t know what Kepa is going to do. I want to give advice to any footballer: never talk about your coach in public, always do it directly. You might meet him again."
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