League Cup Final

[chorleyhere]

Strange camera angle for the penalties - with just a slight variation of angle it made the distance from the spot to the goals look a large distance or quite short ?

[CrosspoolClarets]

Officials got the Kepa thing spot on - a player has to voluntarily leave the pitch. Laws of the game.

Sarri cannot sell or bench a £72m goalkeeper, but he can say in the dressing room that due to his injury and Cabalero’s penalty record (11 saves out of 27 in open play I think) that Kepa cost his team a major trophy and he should apologise to his teammates. Otherwise the bad feeling in the squad will linger.

[strayclaret]

Roman should sack the goalie but not at 90m he won’t

[Reecey1987]

Officials got the Kepa thing spot on - a player has to voluntarily leave the pitch. Laws of the game.

Sarri cannot sell or bench a £72m goalkeeper, but he can say in the dressing room that due to his injury and Cabalero’s penalty record (11 saves out of 27 in open play I think) that Kepa cost his team a major trophy and he should apologise to his teammates. Otherwise the bad feeling in the squad will linger.

He can bench him mourinho did it with pogba . No player is bigger than the club

[burnleymik]

I've seen some on here say Dyche has lost the dressing room at various times though.

True, but I don't thin there is a single player at Burnley who would undermine Dyche like that, even when the team and results were at their worst.

[Stan Tastic]

Under the Laws, the referee has no specific power to force a player to be substituted, even if the team manager or captain has ordered their player to be substituted. If a player refuses to be substituted play may simply resume with that player on the field. However, in some situations players may still be liable to punishment with a caution (yellow card) for time wasting or unsporting behaviour.

[Rick_Muller]

He can bench him mourinho did it with pogba . No player is bigger than the club

Where’s Mourinho now...? And Pogba...?

[Reecey1987]

Where’s Mourinho now...? And Pogba...?

A lot easier to get shut of 1 man instead of having to replace 4 or 5 players

[taio]

Officials got the Kepa thing spot on - a player has to voluntarily leave the pitch. Laws of the game.

Sarri cannot sell or bench a £72m goalkeeper, but he can say in the dressing room that due to his injury and Cabalero’s penalty record (11 saves out of 27 in open play I think) that Kepa cost his team a major trophy and he should apologise to his teammates. Otherwise the bad feeling in the squad will linger.

Didn't know that rule. Laws of the game state:

'if a player who is to be replaced refuses to leave, play continues'

So as well as the ref, Sarri couldn't do anything about it in accordance with the rules.

[corporal jones]

Sarri should sue Chelsea for constructive dismissal. He has been publicly humiliated and undermined by a subordinate and his position has been left untenable. Even if they discipline the player, and lets face it, they wont, the manager is finished at Chelsea and he could claim that his reputation has been damaged going forwards too.

[corporal jones]

Sarri should sue Chelsea for constructive dismissal. He has been publicly humiliated and undermined by a subordinate and his position has been left untenable. Even if they discipline the player, and lets face it, they wont, the manager is finished at Chelsea and he could claim that his reputation has been damaged going forwards too.

[evensteadiereddie]

Dyche would have chinned the cheeky sod. Or made him feel pretty sure he would.

[Dark Cloud]

I've seen some on here say Dyche has lost the dressing room at various times though.

No, what they said was Dyche lost his way to the dressing room as he'd been in Spoons for his "lunch".

[boatshed bill]

£72m worth of player power, and he's not even that good.
But I expect Sarri to resign tomorrow.

[tiger76]

Perfect weekend for Pep silverware,and his 2 closest league rivals drop points away from home.

Shambles from Chelsea they fight so hard to get to penalties and the keeper throws a wobbly like that.

Sarri can't last long surely,who gets the gig is anyone's guess.

Zidane and as an outside bet Frankie Lampard are the names being touted,but who would want to manage this spoilt bunch.

[nil_desperandum]

£72m worth of player power, and he's not even that good.
But I expect Sarri to resign tomorrow.

What? and lose all that money? Why should he?
He'd be much better telling the board that Kepa is permanently banned from the club/ training and won't be returning to the club whilst he is manager. They can then choose whether to sack him and pay him out or publicly back him.
If he handles it well then it's a win / win for him.

[Sarum]

First thing, sack the goalkeeper for gross misconduct, just as you would expect in many a workplace for public insubordination.

Secondly, though, imagine if that keeper had stayed on the pitch and had won the match for Chelsea..... now that would've been an interesting outcome for the Chelsea hierarchy to deal with.

[Pimlico_Claret]

And some on here want us to spend ridiculously to get nearer to the 'top 6'. No thank you!

[Stalbansclaret]

Sarri just interviewed on Radio 5 Live and copped-out big-style calling a "misunderstanding" and saying Kepa was "right" (because Sarri thought Kepa had cramp when he didn't). When pressed he admitted "the conduct was wrong" but basically indicated he would have a chat with Kepa and all would be well.
Sounded very much like someone had had a word along the lines of "listen Maurizio, we paid £75M for the bloke, we can't sack him so be a good chap and smooth it over please".
Disgraceful from Kepa and should be fired, or at least put on the transfer list and sold, but in football money talks.

[nil_desperandum]

The FA could put Kepa up on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute. It would appear under the laws that any player can refuse to leave the field, so if he gets away with it in a prestige match, then you could get any player from Junior level upwards following his example.

[Spijed]

The FA could put Kepa up on a charge of bringing the game into disrepute. It would appear under the laws that any player can refuse to leave the field, so if he gets away with it in a prestige match, then you could get any player from Junior level upwards following his example.

If it's within the laws of the game they won't be able to charge him with anything.

[lucs86]

I wonder if this is the last time we'll see this happen? I never thought we would but now it has happened, Kepa won't be punished I don't think it'll be the last time. It's embarrassing.
Sarri should have roasted him after the match, he's got no chance with that lot, he might as well have shown some balls, got sacked, took the money.

[nil_desperandum]

If it's within the laws of the game they won't be able to charge him with anything.

You can bring the game into disrepute without breaking the laws of the game. (That's presumably one of the reasons why such a "rule" exists.)

[Royboyclaret]

Have to say that the beautiful game has sunk to a new low today.

And to make the whole thing even more unedifying, if that were possible, both the player and manager will no doubt claim language and communication difficulties caused the problem.

Pathetic by all concerned and a seriously bad day for the game in general. Be interesting to know how Sean would have dealt with the situation.

[Bin Ont Turf]

Be interesting to know how Sean would have dealt with the situation.

A player wouldn't have acted like that under Dyche.

[nil_desperandum]

Pathetic by all concerned and a seriously bad day for the game in general. Be interesting to know how Sean would have dealt with the situation.

1. Would never happen under Sean
2. However, in the event that it did, there are 10 other players on the field and I'm absolutely certain a Dyche team would collectively have "dealt with" Kepa. (This is what one might have expected the Chelsea captain and vice-captain to do today if they supported the manager).

[Royboyclaret]

A player wouldn't have acted like that under Dyche.

You're probably right BOT, but his opinion on the actual incident will be interesting.

[Tricky Trevor]

The strangest part for me was the players backing Kepa. Rudiger was right in Sarris face.

[Steve1956]

A player wouldn't have acted like that under Dyche.

To be fair any player other than a Chelsea one wouldn't have acted like that Sarri is weak,and Chelsea players are overpaid spoilt children who turn on their manager at the drop of a hat

[Ashingtonclaret46]

The strangest part for me was the players backing Kepa. Rudiger was right in Sarris face.

That would be the same Rudiger that was pontificating this week about the pre-match talk being like somehting that happens in school etc.,etc.
Itis obvious from today's happenings that the players have no respect for their manager, however, the players always win so "Who's Sarri Now?"

[Spijed]

You can bring the game into disrepute without breaking the laws of the game. (That's presumably one of the reasons why such a "rule" exists.)

If they are bringing the game into disrepute by disobeying their manager why is there a rule that allows them to do so?

Why not simply change it to state that a player must leave the pitch if instructed to do so?

[scouseclaret]

Any club with any self respect would dismiss Kepa and back their manager. However, Sari was a dead man walking already, so he’ll get the bullet and the whole episode will be quickly forgotten.

[Dyched]

Just seen the highlights and what disgusting behaviour from Kepa.

Felt for Sarri. He should have kept walking down the tunnel and left Chelsea.

Sarri should get Terry and Drogba in tomorrow mornjng to give that squad a kick up the arse.

[Imploding Turtle]

Ref should've ordered him off

He can't.

I believe if a player refuses to be substituted then play simply continues. The ref can't force a player to accept a substitution. At least i think that used to be the rule. Don't see why it would've changed.

But it's football, so what do i know?

[dsr]

Sarri could have had a quiet word with the ref after full time, and as soon as Kepa crossed the touchline (which he did) then Sarri could have said they were replacing the injured goalkeeper (which you are allowed to do, even in a penalty shoot-out, if you have a sub left). That would have left Kepa with nowhere to go. Apart, of course, to the subs bench or the reserves.

PS - Am I the only person in the world who remembers Les Sealey? Clearly none of the commentators have heard of him. He refused to come off in the 1991 League Cup Final, and (if I remember rightly) threw a punch from a seated position at the physio who said he should! I don't know if it got as far as the manager telling him to come off, though.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

To be fair any player other than a Chelsea one wouldn't have acted like that Sarri is weak,and Chelsea players are overpaid spoilt children who turn on their manager at the drop of a hat

Utd players for Mourinho, Leicester for *insert name here* and there have been other instances, Burnley for Laws after Coyle left for closer to home.

It isn't something unique to Chelsea, it's just more common there.

They need a clear out of the senior/disruptive players, but with a transfer ban looming it won't happen.

[nil_desperandum]

If they are bringing the game into disrepute by disobeying their manager why is there a rule that allows them to do so?

Why not simply change it to state that a player must leave the pitch if instructed to do so?

Agree with that, and following this very high profile incident maybe they should, but my suggestion to charge him with bringing the game into disrepute was based on the current laws of the game, and it being the only possible sanction open t0 the authorities.
Of course -as you implied - a panel might rule in his favour, but at least a point will have been made, and the panel could propose the very rule change you suggest.

[Vegas Claret]

Captain Azpilicueta was just as embarrassing, stood by and did nowt - he should have gone to the keeper then to the touch line - shite captaincy to just ignore the situation

[Steve1956]

Utd players for Mourinho, Leicester for *insert name here* and there have been other instances, Burnley for Laws after Coyle left for closer to home.

It isn't something unique to Chelsea, it's just more common there.

They need a clear out of the senior/disruptive players, but with a transfer ban looming it won't happen.

Forgot about Leicester they are worse than Chelsea

[Darthlaw]

Utd players for multiple champions league, league championship (in multiple countries) and domestic cup (in multiple countries) winning Mourinho, Leicester for Premier League, Copa del Rey and Coppa Italia winning Ranieri and there have been other instances. Burnley for fourth tier promotion winning Laws after Coyle left for closer to home.

Just added the details of each manager, to your example, to show how players downed tools for two perfectly qualified managers and one not.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Just added the details of each manager, to your example, to show how players downed tools for two perfectly qualified managers and one not.

Thanks for filling in the details

They still downed tools for Laws though and Howe wasn't having it and cleared them out.

[Bordeauxclaret]

The keeper has said he was only buying time because City were building some pressure.

Could be a charge of bringing the game into disrepute on the way for him.