A long thread on why Kepa is the biggest issue at Chelsea right now, more than the defenders, manager or anyone else. His signing sums up everything that is wrong with Chelsea and I have explained why. (THREAD)

The world didn’t take global warming seriously until the late 1980s. Was that because there were no global warming before that? No. It was because people were ignorant.

Similarly, why didn’t you hear about Kepa being bad last season? Because people were ignorant.

I get a lot of tweets about how I have an “agenda” against Kepa. Why would I have an agenda against a player of my own team? To say he is horrible is not an agenda, it is a fact. Regardless of where he has played, he has been extraordinarily bad.

There is nothing I want more than him to come good.

However, hoping he becomes good is the same as hoping the planet randomly cools down and global warming disappears. It is a nice thought to believe in, but ultimately there is zero scientific evidence behind it.

A goalie who commands his box well and/or stops shots automatically empowers his defenders. Kepa, who is poor at both, has the opposite effect and makes defenders look worse than they are.

For a team with no world-class defenders like us, this is particularly important.

You only need to look at Courtois for a Chelsea-based example. The fact Courtois dealt with most crosses and set pieces (even if he wasn’t a great shot-stopper) made the likes of Cahill confident and made them play at a level where they got into Team of the Year.

This is not to say our defenders are world-class, far from it, but they are not the main reason we have a poor defensive record. Defensive reinforcements are still required but our CBs are not as bad as they have been made to look.

Side note: The sheer presence and aura of Alisson is the reason why many attackers fluff their shots against Liverpool, especially when they have time to think and shoot.

When faced by a keeper who concedes every other shot like Kepa, attackers naturally feel more confident.

In a lot of ways, Kepa sums up the Arsenal-ification of Chelsea.

We have signed strikers who can’t score, defenders who can’t defend, midfielders/fullbacks who don’t offer anything practically useful and a keeper who can’t stop shots or crosses. Superficial players.

A lot of people think having players who look good and pass the ball well can make us the next Barcelona or Man City.

What they don’t see, however, is the fact Barcelona and City had players who were amazing at what they were actually supposed to do.

If you sign players who look good on the eye without actually being good at what they do, you end up as a copy of the late-2000s version of Arsenal. Not as a copy of Man City or Barcelona.

You need efficiency and aesthetics at the same time. Never forget that.

The best ball-playing centre-backs (the likes of Ramos) are amazing defenders first and foremost. They’re also great passers.

The best ball-playing keepers (Ederson, Szczesny and Alisson) are amazing shot-stoppers first and then great passers.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. The signings of Ziyech and Werner, two players who are actually good at what they do, will help us hugely. The fact that a lot, if not all, of our youngsters have a good balance of efficiency and aesthetics helps too.

It is crucial that our next few signings are good at their primary job.

A GK who can actually stop shots and collect crosses.

A DM who can actually defend.

A CB who can actually defend and lead his teammates.

A LB who can actually defend and/or attack at a high level.

Lampard's defensive organization is not perfect and our defenders are not perfect, don't get that twisted. At the same time, they are not as bad as Kepa has made them look.

Replace Kepa with a competent GK and I have no doubts that we would have cemented 3rd place by now.

If you want a more in-depth look at his game, please do take a look at what I've written about Kepa.

End of thread. https://twitter.com/ExpectedChelsea/status/1260874795144667142