Better control of the game can help Chelsea beat Madrid, says goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga
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By Martin Graham | 18th Apr 2023
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has charged his teammates to control the game against Real Madrid when the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners come to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the 2022/23 season quarter final tie.
Chelsea were outplayed by Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and their form since then has left little to be desired. They are out of the competition as it stands but a miraculous win at home could see them oust Real Madrid instead.
Interim manager Frank Lampard was thrown straight into the pit with wolves and is fighting for his career. Chelsea are suffering as a result of their time under Graham Potter and the former Everton manager looks to be clueless about the way forward.
There continues to be belief about their chances in the Premier League and in the Champions League, however, leading Kepa to outline the best methods his team can use to depose the Spanish giants.
“Obviously we need a better performance than we had in the Bernabeu,” Kepa said in the pre-match press conference alongside Lampard. “We need to control better their counter-attacks, we need to spend better the time with the ball, we need to create more chances for sure. We need to score goals and we need to be more clinical in both penalty areas. I think this is going to be key.
“It is not going to be easy but I don’t think we are going to need the performance of our lives. We need a good performance obviously, we need to play at our best, and we cannot over-think. We have to go step by step, we have to defend well, we have to attack well and do a great game.”
Chelsea fans will be worried about Vinicius Junior, whose brilliance propelled Madrid to victory in the first leg. Asked if the team had thought about how to deal with the young Brazil international, the Spanish shotstopper pointed out that Vinicius was just a part of a whole that needed to be dealt with.
“We need to push to keep them in their own half, that is something we can work on for tomorrow,” the former Athletic Club Bilbao goalkeeper said.
“After the first leg last season it seemed like a lost cause and in the second leg it was tough but we almost did it. We need to go step by step, not thinking about trying to win 4-0 but just doing things right.
“Hopefully tomorrow we can involve all the fans, all of Stamford Bridge, by playing our best and make the atmosphere that we need in this game to go through. We have to do the right things from the beginning and push as much as we can.”
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