Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed why he’s good at saving penalties.
The Spaniard once again showed his penalty
prowess this season in shoot-out victories over Villarreal in the UEFA Super
Cup at the start of the current campaign, as well as back-to-back Carabao Cup
wins against Aston Villa and Southampton.
Kepa made
four saves across those three shoot-outs, taking his total to eight since
joining Chelsea in 2018 and surpassing Petr Cech’s previous club record of
six.
Explaining
why he’s good at saving penalties, Kepa told Chelsea’s official website: “I
don’t know. I’ve liked penalties all my life, all my career I’ve saved
penalties.
“I don’t
want to say I have a secret, because maybe I don’t, but I feel well in that area.
It is like some players feel comfortable in free-kicks or penalty shooting,
like Jorginho. It’s one quality that I have, so I try to put my quality in this
area at the disposal of the team.
“I think
success in penalties for a goalkeeper is down to a bit of everything. It’s a
bit of preparation, it’s a bit of luck, it’s a bit of mental strength, it’s a
bit of your quality – it’s a mix.
“Right
now every team, every player, has information about the other players, so it is
about how you manage that information. This is not mathematics, it’s not just
two plus two equals four, so the instinct and how you approach the penalties is
also important.
“What I
always say is I like the penalty shoot-outs, but most importantly I like to
help the team and if I can help in this way I am so happy.”
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