Terrace Talk: Chelsea - Subs and snubs: Welcome to the House of Fun

“It was all a big misunderstanding ...”

And if you believe that, then you will believe anything, my friend.

Kepa-gate could have only happened at Chelsea; we seem to have a controversy-seeking missile constantly prepped and ready to go.

The bizarre thing is, I quite like it.

I am neither “outraged” nor “disgusted” by the young keeper’s actions. I found the whole episode rather slapstick and the more people got involved the more I laughed. All it needed was two men carrying a large piece of glass and an out-of-control roller-skater coming straight for them.

Anyone dealing with small children would have recognized that look on Kepa’s face — the trembling bottom lip, the angry tears threatening to spill over — I half expected him to throw himself on the floor and start pounding the ground like a temperamental toddler.

One thing is certain, there was no way he was going to willingly leave the field of play, it would have taken Mama Arrizabalaga wielding a wooden spoon in one hand and his ear tightly in the other to have any chance of that.

A chain-smoking Italian living on borrowed time had zero chance of convincing him.

Was it disrespectful? Of course it was.

Did it give us a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes at Chelsea? Most certainly.

Sarri went bonkers, shouting and screaming, having to be held back, both at the time of the incident and again before extra-time, when the keeper steadfastly refused to hear his name obviously being screamed.

The manager at one point seemed to decide to walk down the tunnel and head for the exit, then thought better of it and he came back to his position, yet still remained incandescent with rage.

Even Zola’s pleas to the keeper were ignored.

What is more interesting is what didn’t happen, though. No Chelsea player, including the captain, went to instruct Kepa to get off the pitch. Luiz approached him at one point, but only seemed to offer him conciliatory words.

The team seem sure that the Italian is a dead man walking, so why fall out with a team mate (especially one that cost £70m and is very unlikely to be dropped) to back a manager who at best may just see the season out.

Sarri, however, needs to look at himself, too.

What was the purpose of the substitution? Was it because Kepa had gone down with cramp a couple of times? If so, the young keeper had said he was fine and usually, in these circumstances, the manager and medical team take the player affirmation and run with that. So, if it wasn’t an injury issue, was it tactical? Back-up keeper Willy Caballero is known for his penalty-saving prowess, plus, one could argue, he knows the City players’ preferences more that anyone. If this was the case, this would/should have been decided before the game even started.

Perhaps my view on the incident is slightly skewed, because I’m not Sarri’s biggest fan, so I’m not particularly bothered that it has undermined him further, but ask yourself this: What player would have tried the same stance with Fergie, Mourinho, Guardiola, or Simeone?

With Spurs tomorrow night, Sarri cannot hold any grudges, but many will feel Kepa needs to be dropped for the manager to reestablish his power. Who we see between the sticks at Stamford Bridge may give us the clearest indication yet, of whether Maurizio Sarri will be Chelsea boss next season.