Banish ‘disrespectful’ Kepa to Chelsea’s youth team, says Kalac

Former Socceroos goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac believes renegade Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga should be banished to train with the club’s under-23’s indefinitely after refusing to be substituted during the EFL Cup final loss to Manchester City.

Source: Chelsea FC

Both Kepa and coach Maurizio Sarri have sought to portray the incident as a “misunderstanding” and “miscommunication” in a bid to spare each other’s blushes.

But former AC Milan gloveman Kalac - who played 38 games for the Rossoneri under Carlo Ancelotti over four seasons - is having none of it.

The unedifying spectacle of Kepa defying Sarri’s bid to bring on Willy Caballero for a penalty shootout the Blues subsequently lost 4-3, left the now Melbourne City goalkeeping coach in disbelief.

Kepa had been suffering cramp, but waved away Sarri’s attempts to pull him off, leaving the coach fuming on the touchline and in the tunnel at Wembley.

“If I’d tried to do the same thing under Ancelotti it would probably have been the end of my contract,” Kalac told The World Game.

“It was crazy, insane. The beauty is that Chelsea lost, so now he can cop it.

“No player is bigger than the game. If I was in charge I’d banish him to the youth team. Let him learn his lesson and stop being so selfish.

“Players these days need to realise it’s a team sport not an individual sport. If they want to act like that go and play golf or tennis, where it’s all about you.

“What he’s done shows a huge lack of respect towards his manager, and his teammates.

“Players now think they’re bigger than the manager and the club and they need to understand that they’re not.

“It’s a team sport and the hardest thing in the jigsaw of putting a team together is finding individuals who might not be the best but will do everything the my can to make the team as good as it can be.”

Sarri, whose own future at Stamford Bridge is under a massive cloud, has said he will not take action against the recalcitrant Spaniard.

But Kalac believes that taking that approach will only hand a license for his teammates to show similar ill discipline, and further undermine the Italian’s precarious position.

“Sarri’s in a tough spot because if he won’t set an example he could lose the whole dressing room,” added Kalac.

“They will all think they can do the same thing. It’s disastrous.

“In this day and age nothing surprises me in football because the players think they’re above the game.

“The good managers are able to sustain the egos of these players and create good teams.”

And what sort of reception can Kepa expect when he trains alongside number two Caballero on Monday In London?

“I’d expect Caballero to break his jaw when they next meet up,” said Kalac, with only half a tongue buried in his cheek.

“He’s got every right to say ‘mate, you’ve showed me an absolute lack of respect’ and then just drop him.”