Here is your Chelsea morning digest for Monday, September 21.
Lampard explains Rudiger omission against Liverpool
Antonio Rudiger was surprisingly left out of Chelsea’s matchday squad for Sunday’s loss to Liverpool.
Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma started for the second game in succession, while Fikayo Tomori was introduced at half-time after the former was sent off just before half time.
With Thiago Silva still to make his debut for the Blues after signing for the club earlier this summer, it leaves Rudiger’s future at Stamford Bridge in doubt.
And after the defeat to the Premier League champions, Lampard was asked about the German’s omission from the squad.
“At the moment I have five centre-backs at the club,” he explained. “I can’t pick a squad that has three of them on the bench.
“That is the way it is. I have to pick a squad on the way they train, situations, and that is just how it is.
"That is a selection one today.”
Carragher “feels sorry” for struggling Blues star
After Kepa Arrizabalaga made a second high-profile error in two games, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher surprisingly said he felt sorry for the Chelsea goalkeeper.
The Spaniard has been intensely criticised for his performances over the last 12 months but Carragher, while accepting Kepa has not lived up to expectations, said he has sympathy with his plight.
“I actually feel sorry for him a bit now,” he said on Sky Sports . “There’s a new goalkeeper coming in, so there’s not too much more we can say.
“It must be tough for him, he’s going through a tough period. We’re being critical of him, but that’s our jobs.
“You do feel for him because I think back to sometimes in my career where it wasn’t going great and he’s just having one of those nightmare moments.”
Mane discusses Kepa's mistake
It was a dreadful moment for Kepa.
With Sadio Mane bearing down on him, the Chelsea goalkeeper panicked, failed to accurately pass the ball to Jorginho, and handed Liverpool a second goal that put the game to bed.
Mane intercepted, rolled the ball into the empty net, and wheeled away in celebration, leaving a broken Kepa to rue yet another error.
After the match, the Liverpool star discussed how he believed he could force the Kepa mistake.
“These kind of things are what we try on the training pitch,” Mane told Sky Sports.
“When I got the ball I knew it would be difficult for him to have another option, I was in front of him and he tried to pass it, and unlucky for him it was a mistake.
“Lucky for me, I scored a second goal for my team.”
