Kepa Arrizabalaga has apologised to the Chelsea head coach, Maurizio Sarri, his teammates and the club’s supporters for refusing to be substituted late in the Carabao Cup final, with the world’s most expensive goalkeeper fined one week’s wages – around £190,000 – for his act of petulance.
Chelsea have sought to draw a line under the incident after Arrizabalaga’s show of dissent at Wembley, put down to a misunderstanding in the immediate aftermath of the defeat by Manchester City on penalties, publicly undermined Sarri’s authority. The Italian has found himself under mounting pressure of late with open revolt erupting in the stands over his tactics during the recent FA Cup elimination by Manchester United, and Arrizabalaga’s actions had fuelled the suspicion that a mutinous mood was now spreading on to the pitch.
The goalkeeper had twice required treatment during extra time, apparently suffering from cramp – he subsequently suggested he had been buying time for his teammates to recover after a gruelling goalless final – before angrily waving away frantic attempts by Sarri and his assistant, Gianfranco Zola, to replace him with Willy Caballero in the last minute of extra time.
His refusal to leave the field prompted a furious reaction from Sarri who, after the final whistle, attempted to confront the 24-year-old and had to be held back by Antonio Rüdiger as the players gathered to compose themselves for the shootout.
That was duly lost 4-3, with Arrizabalaga saving from Leroy Sané but allowing Sergio Agüero’s penalty to slip under his body and in.
The pair spoke post-match, insisting the incident had stemmed from a breakdown in communication with the £71.3m world-record signing insisting it had “never been my intention to go against the manager”. He subsequently went further on social media: “I have full respect for the coach and his authority.”
While no senior players had attempted to usher him off with the fourth official holding up his number and his prospective replacement waiting awkwardly on the touchline, his refusal to leave the pitch is understood to have left teammates distinctly unimpressed.
Sarri and Arrizabalaga had attempted to clear the air in the dressing room after media duties had been completed, with the issue addressed again at a team meeting at Cobham before the squad’s warm-down session on Monday.
Regardless, the head coach and player still felt compelled to release statements through the club late on Monday night to resolve the issue well in advance of Wednesday’s Premier League game at home against Tottenham.
“I was very happy to play in my first cup final for Chelsea and very proud of the team performance,” said Arrizabalaga. “I have thought a lot more about yesterday’s events. Although there was a misunderstanding, on reflection, I made a big mistake with how I handled the situation.
“I wanted to take the time today to apologise fully and in person to the coach, to Willy, my teammates and to the club. I have done this and now I want to offer the same apology to the fans. I will learn from this episode and will accept any punishment or discipline the club decides is appropriate.”
That amounts to a fine of one week’s wages, which has been donated to the Chelsea Foundation, with the club dropping their customary policy of keeping any internal sanctions private.
Sarri had initially criticised the player’s conduct while toeing the party line over the misunderstanding, but has now received a personal apology.
“Kepa and I have spoken about the incident,” he said. “It was a good conversation. There was a misunderstanding yesterday but he realises he made a big mistake in the way he reacted. He has apologised to me, his team-mates and the club.
“It is up to the club if they want to discipline him according to the club rules, but for me this matter is now closed.
“The team performance as a whole was extremely positive and it is a shame to see how this incident has overshadowed our efforts in what was a very competitive cup final. Everyone’s focus is now on the next game and we must all now put this behind us.”
The Italian’s position at Stamford Bridge remains under serious risk, even after his team’s more encouraging showing at Wembley against a City side who had thrashed them 6-0 two weeks previously. Yet the goalless draw was achieved playing far more pragmatic, counterattacking football more akin to the approach of previous Chelsea managers than Sarri’s preferred style.
Defeat against Spurs could leave his team six points adrift of the top four, putting his job prospects in doubt with the England assistant manager and former Chelsea coach, Steve Holland, the favourite to take over on an interim basis until the summer if Sarri is dismissed seven months into a three-year contract.
David Luiz had led the public show of support in their beleaguered head coach in the aftermath of Sunday’s loss, insisting he retains the support and respect of the group. “The coach has the power over the group and he has our respect,” said the Brazil centre-half. “For me, there is not a problem here with that. We all believe in his philosophy. We all believe in the way he wants us to play.”