Chelsea Legend John Terry Slams Kepa Arrizabalaga's Refusal To Be Substituted

Posted Monday, February 25, 2019 by thesportbible.com

Chelsea legend John Terry has offered his verdict on the standoff between Maurizio Sarri and Kepa Arrizabalaga during the EFL Cup final.

The Blues boss was getting ready to bring on Willy Caballero in extra-time after the 24-year-old Spaniard went down with an injury.

However, Kepa refused to come off and resulted in an irate Sarri in the Wembley dugout.

Former Chelsea captain John Terry has slammed the 'keeper's decision to remain on the pitch when his manager wanted to sub him off.

"Once your number goes up, you have to come off and show a bit of respect," he told Sky Sports.

"Deal with that after. That's the last thing the players want."

The 38-year-old former England international added that it left Sarri in a "tough place," but he said that he was "surprised he didn't force [Kepa] to come off."

"It will be interesting how it pans out in the next 24 hours for the club," he explained.

"It's not the end of it -- it's a cloud over a really good Chelsea performance especially with what's happened of late, as the results and performances haven't been good enough.

"It's disappointing -- let's see what happens now.

"If I was in there [dressing room], I'd be expecting the manager to come in and deal with it instantly."

After the match, Sarri suggested that his standoff with Kepa was a "big misunderstanding."

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola secured his first piece of silverware this season after his side won on penalties against Chelsea.

Maurizio Sarri says the Kepa substitution confusion was 'a big misunderstanding' because he thought the player had cramp. However he says Kepa was right that he could continue although the way he went about it was wrong. Sarri says he needs to talk to Kepa now. #CHEMCI
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2019

Sarri says the players played exactly the game he prepared, so he is in full control of the situation. He adds that today we decided not to press high in every situation, and we conceded nothing to the best team in Europe. #CHEMCI
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2019

Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta, also known as Kepa, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Dutch club Vitesse on loan from Chelsea[1].
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) February 24, 2019

Agree or disagree with Terry?