PETULANT KEPA OWES CHELSEA A BIG FINALE

THE most staggering example of ill-discipline I saw during my career came during a pre-season friendly. An old team-mate, whose identity I will protect, walked off midway through the second half after taking exception to another colleague shouting at him. Nobody could believe what had happened but, sadly, it wasn’t a one-off. This same individual did the same thing in a behindclosed-doors game a few weeks later. Without any fans or cameras around, though, nothing happened. I thought about that last Sunday when I saw Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga refuse to be replaced in the closing stages of the Carabao Cup final. It has been the talking point of the week and there is no other way to say it: what he did was totally unprofessional. You can argue he showed desire — unlike the player I mentioned — but he crossed a line. I wrote last week about the pressure Maurizio Sarri is under and the way Kepa reacted did not help his manager in the slightest. He had to be dropped for the game with Tottenham and he had to be fined. Willy Caballero did well when replacing Kepa in the 2-0 win over Tottenham, but it remains to be seen how long he will stay in goal. Kepa’s £72million transfer fee means he will be back in the starting line-up sooner rather than later. I’m glad he has apologised to Sarri. The Carabao Cup final is a big occasion and he made a huge mistake. The best way to repay Sarri would be with performances that help Chelsea finish in the top four.