Up until just a few minutes ago, Cesar Azpilicueta had played every single minute of every single Premier League game of that Antonio Conte has managed at Chelsea. The fullback had started 74 games in a row, until being left out of the first team for the midweek clash against Swansea City. The match is currently 0-0 as we head to halftime
This was the longest active streak by an outfield player in the Premier League. The only longer currently active streak belongs to Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who is at 90 and counting.
Azpilicueta was replaced by Antonio Rudiger in the first team, but he was named an available substitute.
The last time Cesar Azpilicueta didn’t start a league game for Chelsea (December 2015):
—Mourinho-coached Chelsea lost at home to Bournemouth
—Chelsea were in 14th place
—Antonio Conte managed Italy
—Alvaro Morata was a Juve player
—Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself’ topped the charts pic.twitter.com/q7SYkqaeot— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 29, 2017
The last time he didn’t start was nearly two years ago, Dec 5 2015 in what would ultimately be Jose Mourinho’s penultimate game of his second Chelsea tenure. Although the match is scoreless, Chelsea have dominated, as they own a 63-37% advantage in possession, and are 11-0 in shots, six of which were on goal.
The defending champions are 11 points behind table toppers Manchester City, who set a Premier League record for points acquired by this point in the season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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