Chelsea

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Premier League • England

Chelsea star reveals huge impact Graham Potter has made in veiled dig at Thomas Tuchel

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed why he is benefitting so much from having Graham Potter as Chelsea boss compared to Thomas Tuchel.

The 28-year-old has gone from Blues outcast under Tuchel to their regular number one this season, having kept his place despite Edouard Mendy recovering from the injury he suffered in September.

Kepa made fine saves from Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo as Chelsea battled to a goalless draw at Brentford on Wednesday night.

The result means the Blues are still undefeated under Potter, although their four-match winning run was ended.

And speaking after the match, the Spaniard appeared to have a slight dig at life under Tuchel.

Kepa told Amazon Prime: “I am playing with confidence, with the ball and without it. In good positions, I feel good and I am helping the team. I am happy to be like this.

“Every player needs this confidence, this push, and for a goalkeeper, it’s important when you have continuity and play matches in a row.

“When you are not playing, the distance and crosses, there are a lot to consider. Training is not the same. I am playing well and with confidence.”

Kepa, however, was left frustrated by the draw against London rivals Brentford.

He added: “We didn’t win, we dropped two points because at the end of the game we had clear chances.

“We are not happy. People weren’t happy. The last 15-20 minutes we played a lot of time in their box, we had clear opportunities and should have scored.

“Our feeling is we dropped two points. We wanted three points to be fighting with the top clubs and stay as high as we can.”

Potter blames lack of attacking threat for draw

Potter himself was equally disappointed with the result but refused to blame individuals.

The Chelsea boss said: “I always look at the team rather than individuals. I’d rather attack better.

“It’s not easy against Brentford. We were close with Kai, close with Mason but we can improve in that area I think.

“We’re always disappointed when we don’t win. Over the course of the game a point is fair, they had chances and we pushed at the end.

“It was a tough game against a team that makes it tough. We pushed and pushed and gave it everything.

“It’s not easy with the schedule but we put the effort in and I’m proud of them – it’s a hard-earned point.”

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