Chelsea FC have been dominant in the Premier League so far- racking up wins week in and week out. They’re running away with the league title. Summer signing N’golo Kante, from the defending champions Leicester City, has particularly been magnificent for the Blues, due to his tenacious presence in the midfield.
It is hard to pick out a particularly important player for Blues this season, as just about everyone has been well suited towards their job, as per manager Antonio Conte’s demands.
However, one true Chelsea standout this season has been their stellar defender, Cesar Azpilicueta.
Editor’s note: This Cesar Azpilicueta article is a guest post from Bibes Kharel of Soccerath
Chelsea fans love Cesar Azpilicueta, particularly because of his grounded humbleness and hard core work ethic. The reliable defender isn’t someone who gets the spotlight for his solid performances though.
The former Osasuna defender initially arrived in Chelsea as a right-back from Marseille in 2012. He needed to work hard to find a place in the Chelsea squad, but as the season progressed, he entered into the lineup steadily. The Spanish International played a significant role in the Blues’ Europa League success during his first season.
In his second season, Chelsea welcomed the return of Manager Jose Mourinho, and Azpilicueta had difficulty finding a starting berth under the Portuguese boss.
However, after successive injuries to Ashley Cole and Ryan Bertrand, he would feature again as a left-back for Chelsea. The Spanish defender excelled as a left-back and then cemented his place ahead of Cole.
It was the same position he played for under Antonio Conte, but after Chelsea’s setback against Arsenal, the Italian opted for the 3-4-3 formation instead.
The former Juventus boss then played Azpilicueta in a new role- centre back. The defender has made the position his own, so far as to convincing Conte to label him the ‘best player in the position’.
Azpilicueta has been impressive in his timing of the forward runs as well as being astute defensively. Cesar Azpilicueta has every bit of quality needed in the system. He is quick, reliable on one v. ones and he is tactically sound.
He doesn’t only have protective cover roles in this new Chelsea. It is crucial for him to circulate the ball in the wing areas while effectively covering the void left by forwarding surges of Marcos Alonso.
The defender has used his strengths to full effect so far- and it has helped keep 13 clean sheets this season.
Cesar is a manager favourite – as showed by the fact that both Antonio and Jose have spoken highly of the defender. He is first to the training and the last one to leave.
The former Marseille defender hasn’t gotten an easy route in Chelsea. There was a moment when his place in Chelsea squad was under threat with Mourinho, but he has always put his head down and worked hard on the training.
There is a definite aura about him. He would not be worth a million pounds like Hazard nor will he attract huge merchandise sales, but his reliability in defence makes him any manager’s first name in the starting lineup.
That’s extremely important as the back line was considered the potential weakness for Chelsea FC entering this season.