Thomas Tuchel handed tense £71m Leicester dilemma to define Chelsea's Club World Cup destiny

Kepa Arrizabalaga has done all he can to earn a spot in Saturday's Club World Cup final.

Not only did his second-half stops maintain Chelsea's slim lead and ensure the Blues made the final, but his performances this season have been highly encouraging, given his stock was also at an all-time low before Thomas Tuchel arrived.

But with Edouard Mendy back from a triumphant AFCON campaign with Senegal, Tuchel now faces a similar dilemma he had preceding the FA Cup final last year against Leicester City.

Mendy was performing to a high level in the Premier League and Champions League, but Tuchel stuck with the man signed for £71m in 2018, who had played all the rounds of the FA Cup last season.

Youri Tielemans long-range strike was enough to win a close final as Chelsea suffered one of their lowest moments under Tuchel so far.

Given Kepa's fragility with shots from distance, his positioning and height to reach Tielemans shot was a point of contention after the game, citing Mendy's bigger stature more suited to prevent the goal from happening.

The Belgian's shot was still precise and well-executed, but regret was felt after the game.

Tuchel made a similar error of judgement to start Marcos Alonso over Ben Chilwell in the same game, Chilwell coming on later in the final and having an equaliser controversially ruled out by VAR.

The lead up to Saturday's final against Palmeiras differs from the build-up for the Leicester game last May.

Before the FA Cup tie, Kepa had started in the disappointing Premier League loss to Arsenal at home, with miscommunication from a Jorginho backpass leading to Emile Smith Rowe's winning goal.

This time, Kepa's two standout performances to help Chelsea beat Plymouth in the FA Cup and Al-Hilal has