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Jake Stokes

Thomas Tuchel handed damning reminder that solves Chelsea's Club World Cup selection dilemma

Just imagine that Thomas Tuchel's car went in for an MOT a few weeks ago, and he was handed a courtesy car in the meantime.

The Chelsea boss has enjoyed his courtesy car so much that his family is questioning which vehicle they prefer; the new one that has performed surpassingly well despite the mixed reviews online or the reliable one that Tuchel already had.

This is the exact predicament the west Londoners face but with goalkeepers instead of cars.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has enjoyed an excellent vein of form in Edouard Mendy's absence, mounting a valid argument about who Tuchel should start in the Club World Cup final.

The Spaniard, who joined Chelsea in 2018 from Athletic Bilbao for a record-breaking £71m fee, has overcome all adversity in recent weeks with a series of impressive displays in the Senegalese goalkeeper's absence.

There was growing concern that Kepa wouldn't be able to fill Mendy's void during the Africa Cup of Nations, but the 27-year-old defied all the odds that were stacked against him.

So, Daniel Childs and Scott Clayton spoke live on the Carefree Chelsea show to delve into what could be seen as Tuchel's biggest dilemma ahead of the Club World Cup final.

Clayton kickstarted the discussion by accepting the reemergence of Kepa but detailed why he think Mendy should take centre stage once more.

"I'm leaning towards Mendy - this is a big cup that we all want to win," he said. "I know Kepa's done really well, and I understand a lot of fans saying that he deserves to start because he got us to the final, but Mendy got us to the Club World Cup by winning the Champions League with his heroics."

Clayton then highlighted Kepa's display in the 2021 FA Cup Final when the Blues boss entrusted the Spaniard between the sticks.

"The FA Cup final of giving Kepa that chance still haunts me because I think we could've won it if we had Mendy in goal. I'm not blaming it on Kepa here but I just like to see my best goalkeeper playing the biggest matches.

Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy of Chelsea celebrate with the UEFA Super Cup Trophy (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

"It's taken us ten years to get back to this Club World Cup final, and it's one we've not won - it's a game we want to need to win, and you pick your best goalkeeper, and that, for me, is Mendy."

Childs agreed with Clayton, stressing how sentiment mustn't blur Tuchel's decision making ahead of an occasion that holds such magnitude.

"I agree. I don't think it should be based on sentiment or token because it's a very unique chance to win a trophy that we don't know when we'll be back again for," he said.

Kepa Arrizabalaga produced a fine performance in the Club World Cup semi-final against Al Hilal (Angel Martinez - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

"It's different to the FA Cup, the League Cup or the Champions League - you have to win the Champions League, which in itself is a really difficult thing to do, and Mendy was a big part of that."

Childs then referenced Kepa's superb resurgence under Tuchel but sung from the same hymn sheet as Clayton, claiming that Youri Tielemans' strike from range must be received as a warning message.

"Kepa has been brilliant in the last few months," he said. "If you look at where his reputation was when Thomas Tuchel arrived, the way he has recovered it has been brilliant.

"You can't deny his performance levels; he looks like a confident goalkeeper, he looks a lot more assured, he seems like he's enjoying his football.

"Finals are usually defined by very fine margins, and with Tielemens' shot, Kepa didn't do anything wrong. It was a brilliant strike, but there is always that feeling after the game that Mendy's height and dominant frame would have been able to stop that going in."

Follow our CareFree Chelsea trends writer Jake Stokes on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.Make sure you have subscribed to CareFree Chelsea on YouTube! The Fan Brands team, along with plenty of your football.london favourites, will be producing daily Chelsea content for you to enjoy, including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.

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