I am confident. I'm helping the team.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was so happy after the game that he spoke to Amazon Prime.
The clean sheet was the fifth in a row for the Blues and extended their winning streak to seven. Kepa is confident because he is a key figure in the team's resurgence.
Saturday 22nd October 5:00pmAfter warming the bench in all but one of the first seven games of the season, the goalkeeper was able to regain the No 1 shirt under new head coach Graham Potter thanks to some outstanding individual performances.
Just seven weeks after a transfer window in which he contemplated leaving, Kepa now appears to be comfortable playing as the world's most expensive 'keeper.
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At the start of September, Kepa's first appearance of the season came in a 0-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.
Mendy was supposed to return to the side once he had recovered from his knee injury, but he has been a substitute ever since.
Kepa has kept the No 1 shirt for all seven of Potter's matches, despite starting in the defeat to Dinamo.
The stunning saves from Danny Ings and Jacob Ramsey in the win over Villa were not the only ones that made the former Seagulls boss keep faith in Kepa.
The graphic below shows that the Spaniard is performing better than his team-mate in a number of areas.
The increased number of clean sheets and fewer goals conceded can be attributed to the team's improved defensive performance, but Kepa deserves his share of the credit.
Kepa has had a positive impact on the results of the team.
The increase in goals scored and points won can be attributed to Potter's impact, but the difference between the number of shots Kepa and Mendy allow and the number of goals they allow is stark.
According to Kepa's numbers, he is giving up just 0.25 goals per 90 minutes in the premier league. Mendy's goals conceded total is 0.06 higher than anticipated. He has been outperformed by his deputy, yet it doesn't paint him as a liability.
He hasn't recorded six in a row since he arrived from Athletic Bilbao more than four years ago. It would be great if we could help the Blues to another clean sheet at home to Manchester United on Saturday.
Kepa deserves his place in the starting XI, but do they show that he has improved as a player?
It looks like the answer is yes. The table below shows that Kepa has been more authoritative in the air this season than he has been in the past.
All comps, per 90 mins | Kepa this season | Kepa before this season |
Goals conceded | 0.38 | 1.07 |
Saves | 2.75 | 2.17 |
Passes attempted | 26.63 | 28.67 |
Crosses caught or punched | 1 | 0.69 |
Kepa's ability to deal with high balls into the penalty area was criticized during his previous spell as the Blues' No 1. Kepa is now more proactive when it comes to handling aerial threats thanks to Potter and his coaching staff.
Kepa's output in the four matches he has played this season places him among the best in the division.
It's not hard to see why Kepa is the top goal scorer in the four matches he's played, but the fact he ranks third for saves per 90 minutes shows he isn't playing behind a defensive wall.
Ranking first for punched clearances is further evidence of his improvement under the high ball, while coming in second behind only Nick Pope for regains shows his suitability for Potter's style.
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Questions need to be asked about why Mendy's form deserted him after Kepa's renaissance.
Kepa was handed a head start in the race to win the new head coach's affections when the Senegal international was ruled out for the first game in charge due to injury.
Mendy wouldn't have had a problem if he had been demoted because of his performances, which were below average. Compared to his first two seasons at the club, the 30-year-old was giving up more goals and recording fewer clean sheets.
Mendy's drop in standards could be traced back to last season, when a gaffe with the ball at his feet handed West Ham a penalty and the 'keeper palmed Arthur Masuaku's cross into his own.
Mendy underhit a pass to Antonio Rudiger when way outside his area that allowed Real Madrid's Karim Benzema to roll the ball into the empty net during a 3-1 loss in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
After Mendy had his pocket picked, he dallying with the ball at his feet, allowing a teammate to set the hosts on their way for a third goal.
His most recent appearance - the 2-1 win over West Ham last month - was capped with another mistake as he dropped the ball to the feet of Maxwel Cornet to gift the Hammers a late leveller.
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As the starting goalkeeper for much of the second half of Tuchel's reign, Mendy must shoulder his share of the blame.
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Potter's actions have done the talking since he referred to Kepa and Mendy as "two No 1s", but he hasn't said anything about them. If Kepa maintains his form, he is likely to retain the role.
Kepa's return is good news for the head coach and good news for the owners. The club paid the highest fee for a goalkeeper in the history of football when they signed the Spaniard in the summer of last year.
Kepa's role as a back-up meant finding a club willing to give a sizeable return on their investment and take on his wages was unlikely, with Tuchel admitting earlier this season that, in the most recent transfer window, the player checked his options.
Kepa's current displays help to make the fee Chelsea paid for him look a little less reckless, while they will also serve to inflate his value should any club decide to make a good offer.
Kepa's rise has put Mendy in a somewhat awkward position. According to reports last month, the club wanted to extend the 'keeper's contract but he turned it down.
It remains to be seen if Mendy will sign the new proposal or if he will stay on the bench.
Potter is likely to put those concerns to one side and instead enjoy having a goalkeeper in Kepa that is helping to establish the defensive solidity that has underpinned so much of the club's success.