More specifics are needed! I need to know where to lurk around in the hope of meeting a player when I'm in London

Knightsbridge mainly Harrods

He's great.  Versatile, humble, intelligent, hard working, skillful non-dramatic; everything a footballer should be, but sadly few are

Hehe... Can't agree he's completely non dramatic. He goes down with a hell of screech sometimes, you'd think he's broken something. But he's thankfully always fine. Top, top player though. The embodiment of determination. Plays like a man on a mission every minute of every game.

I had a dream that he was playing cricket and he got kung fu kicked by Andrew Symonds after some confrontation. Remember arguing that Symonds had to be banned for life :)

Hehe... Can't agree he's completely non dramatic. He goes down with a hell of screech sometimes, you'd think he's broken something. But he's thankfully always fine. Top, top player though. The embodiment of determination. Plays like a man on a mission every minute of every game.

 

yeah, but you don't really see him rolling around, hounding refs, getting in people's faces....like Rooney

Edited April 2, 201511 yr by mad_mac

Definitely. It's not really a criticism. Just a funny little thing he does. Has me fearing the worst, but he's usually up all good and sprightly. You know, the way the players have been getting kicked around lately, I think it might not be such a bad idea for one or two others (Hazard for one) to be a little more audible in response to fouls.

He's been our most consistent player since he arrived. One of the best in the game.

Still rather he played RB than LB.

Still rather he played RB than LB.

i dont really get this argument. he has played 90% of his games for us at LB, and almost every chelsea fan would agree he has been one of our ebst performers in that time. why change it? right footed players can make very good left backs, especially in the modern game where wingers prefer to cut inside more often, rather than run down the line where a left footed left back would be an advantage

Edited April 3, 201511 yr by Coxy15

i dont really get this argument. he has played 90% of his games for us at LB, and almost every chelsea fan would agree he has been one of our ebst performers in that time. why change it? right footed players can make very good left backs, especially in the modern game where wingers prefer to cut inside more often, rather than run down the line where a left footed left back would be an advantage

 

Just feels it gives us better balance and would help out Hazard more on the left.

Just feels it gives us better balance and would help out Hazard more on the left.

 

I have to disagree.

 

Hazard will do less tracking back and help in defense on the left (compared to Wiliian on the right)

So we need a left back to stay back. Apzi fits the bill perfectly

 

Also on the right Ivan already goes forward often. So a defensive left back will make it more balance.

 

Jose prefers a defense with one attacking full back and one defensive full back.

 

At Real, it is Marcelo and Arbeloa

At Inter, it is Maicon and Chivu (or Zanietti)  

Edited April 3, 201511 yr by tontot

interview with Dave.

 

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2015/04/cesar-with-head-and-heart.html

 

Cesar Azpilicueta talks about the defence, a couple of international colleagues benefitting the attack, and the title race…
 

It has been our attacking play that has received the most plaudits this term, but the small details that so often decide top-flight games in this country mean our position at the top of the table - and with a game in hand – owes just as much to our good defensive work.

We have conceded the second fewest number of goals in the division, while between Thibaut Courtoisand Petr Cech we have kept the second highest amount of clean sheets. At Stamford Bridge, where we host Stoke City later today, we have conceded the fewest league goals (six) of any team in the top four divisions in this country.

With the end of the season in sight, and the fight for precious points becoming ever fiercer, it is no surprise our recent games have been tight affairs, with none of our last seven in the league decided by more than a goal. 

So how has Cesar Azpilicueta, again a bastion of the defence this season, assessed our work in that area of the pitch?

‘I think we have done well,’ is his response to the official Chelsea website. ‘We can still improve and we are all working hard to do that every day but as a team we are doing a good job and we want to carry on that way.

‘We have to be strong defensively to give the attacking players the confidence to play with freedom. We are confident in possession, we normally have more of the ball and our job as defenders is to help win it back, stop the opposition and help the team get in attacking positions.’

"

We have to play with our head and our heart to win the league title.

"

 

Looking further forward on the pitch, he was joined at Chelsea in the summer by two World Cup team-mates, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.

‘They have had a really big impact in the team. Diego is the top scorer in the Premier League and Cesc has the most assists. That says it all.

‘They have experience on and off the pitch and they are really positive guys who help all of us in the dressing room,’ adds Azpilicueta. ‘They have fitted in very well here since the first day. 

‘Obviously I can speak Spanish with them and some of the other guys in the dressing room which helps me, but I also have the chance to speak English and French which I enjoy.

‘It is true we have a mix of players from all around the world. This helps. To find the right balance in the team and in the dressing room every player has some of their own qualities as a player and a person; even if you are from the same country it can be something different. We try to put all of that together when we play as a team. That balance is important.’

And it has worked. We start today’s tea-time kick-off with Stoke where we want to be, at the top of the Premier League, and having already lifted the Capital One Cup.

‘We are in a very good position but it’s not finished,’ stresses Azpilicueta when asked for his assessment of the current standings.

‘There are still nine games and two months in front of us and in that time we have to give everything. We know the teams behind us want to catch us but we are just focused on ourselves, going game by game. We have Stoke at home next and that is another three points we have to fight for if we are to win the title.

 

‘We are arriving in the final games now so every detail of every game becomes even more important. We have to play with our head and our heart to win the league title.’

And if we do, it would be the first of Azpilicueta’s career. He has French and English League Cups to his name, as well as the Europa League after our success in that competition in 2013, but he has never been part of a team that has gone all the way over a 38-game domestic campaign. He puffs his cheeks out at the thought.

‘It would mean a lot. Every player wants to win the title, and the Premier League even more so. When I came here my target was to try to win as much as I could. Trophies are what I want. To be now in the position we have worked to be in, I really hope we do it.’

 

 

•  

Super Soldier. Excellent again today. Whole defence did well today. Cahill was good, Iva too. Jt solid as ever.

Thought he was fantastic today... Probably the best attacking display I have seen from him for a long while.

Love his reaction at 0:46 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAuQo1Dkx5Q

Azpilicueta: The Wind Beneath Hazard's Wings

He may have cost only €7m, but Cesar Azpilicueta has quickly transformed from back-up right-back to a key part of Chelsea's left-flank. He's a relic among modern full-backs...

'Dave' seems a strangely appropriate nickname for Cesar Azpilicueta. His style is founded on such a deliberate lack of flamboyancy that there is an aptness about the moniker given to him by his Chelsea teammates. Anything polysyllabic would seem superfluous.

The actual reason for the pet name is a little less poetic. "Cesar's not even that hard, but some said my name was too difficult to pronounce and could they call me Dave. It's stuck," Azpilicueta told the Daily Telegraph in 2013. "But I suppose Azpilicueta is tricky," he concluded, with more than a touch of generosity.

Of all Chelsea's transfers over the last five years, few can have caused less of an initial ripple than Azpilicueta, an uncapped Spaniard signed for £7m from Olympique de Marseille. L'OM had just finished tenth in Ligue Un, 34 points behind Montpellier.

Arriving four days before his 23rd birthday, Azpilicueta was intended to be the back-up right-back to Branislav Ivanovic. Eleven players have since joined him at Stamford Bridge for higher fees, but none have displayed his consistency and professionalism.

Gary Neville takes these compliments further, describing Azpilicueta as the best defender in the Premier League. "For technical defending, not making a mistake, not being in the wrong position, not getting caught out... I don't see him making a mistake," Neville said. "When I watch him, he's as near to perfect as possible when it comes to defending; he's immaculate." High praise indeed.

Look at the list of Chelsea's most regular Premier League starters since the day Azpilicueta made his league debut: Branislav Ivanovic 92, Eden Hazard 86, Gary Cahill 76, Cesar Azpilicueta 75. A back-up full-back has become one of the club's key players.

Chelsea have won 74% of their matches with Azpilicueta in the side this season, but just 50% without. The opponents for those seven victories in his absence: Maribor, QPR, Hull (2), Swansea, Shrewsbury and Sporting Lisbon. 'Dave' doesn't miss the big games.

The stereotype modern full-back is a player closer to attacker than midfielder. You could even go stronger still: The full-back is the ultimate modern footballer. They are the only position on the pitch with space in front of them, the advent of 4-2-3-1 and the double pivot in central midfield given them greater licence to roam forward. The emergence of high pressing strategies and renaissance of counter-attacking dictates that full-backs are expected to sprint back as quickly as they venture forward.

Glen Johnson describes it perfectly: "The modern full-back is very much an attacking outlet: as midfields get narrower it's us who have to get up and down and offer width. Embrace it, you're action man."

Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves and Maicon were three Brazilian standard-bearers for the revolution, but their success was replicated in countless other countries. England can boast a plethora of options: Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Cresswell, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. This is the next generation, phasing out those with similar traits. You could not wish for a more adventurous full-back pairing than Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson.

The Premier League is now littered with full-backs who are more comfortable moving forward than back. Their performance is now measured in crosses completed, assists provided and chances created, rather than tackles made or crosses blocked.

Azpilicueta is the exception to that rule. He is a relic of the time when defenders defended and attackers attacked, an anachronism of the modern full-back. Whilst Shaw, Rose or Clyne could make competent wingers (and Gareth Bale moved even higher up the pitch), you would rely on Azpilicueta at any place in the back four.

"We have to be strong defensively to give the attacking players the confidence to play with freedom," is his assessment of his role. That quote could be Jose Mourinho's managerial epitaph, sitting just above the dates of the trophies he has won.

It is this defensive reliability that explains Mourinho's decision to convert Azpilicueta to a left-back so early in his return to Chelsea. On the right wing, the discipline of Willian allows Ivanovic to maraud forward, explaining the Serbian's eight goals and assists combined in the league this season. On the left, Azpilicueta stays deeper to provide Hazard with the licence to stay forward. An average touch map for this season shows Ivanovic one side of the halfway line, and Azpilicueta the other.

Hazard is not excused from Mourinho's demand for high-energy commitment, but is permitted to operate with greater liberation than any other Chelsea player.

"I played against him [Hazard] in France and when I came here we knew each other a little bit," the Spaniard said when explaining the on-field connection between the pair. "The relationship is good because we're more or less the same age and we speak French. I know every time I give him the ball he's going to do something different." Sometimes football can be a simple game.

"Eden is a great player, younger than Messi or Ronaldo, and therefore has more capacity for improvement, Azpilicueta says. "I think in the future he could win the Ballon d'Or, he has the quality." The left-back is unlikely win any personal accolades of his own, but behind every superstar is a facilitator. Azpilicueta is the wind beneath Hazard's wings.

Things have not always been easy since arriving from Pamplona via the Cote d'Azur. Azpilicueta drew four and lost two of his first six matches for Chelsea, and saw Roberto di Matteo sacked in the middle of that run. He had three managers in his first year at Stamford Bridge, and also saw Filipe Luis arrive to challenge his first-team place last summer.

The Spaniard simply takes it all in his stride. "I tried to get as quick as possible into the new role," he said on playing on the left flank. "It is more or less the same [as right-back], but I play with different players and use my left foot more. I did work on my left, I tried to improve and be better. In the big teams, there is always competition and the competition helps us to improve. I like the competition and fight for my place every day." It's easy to see why he is well-liked at Stamford Bridge.

A similar pattern emerges. Azpilicueta is meticulous, hard-working and hungry to learn. In almost three years at Chelsea he has seen off the notable competition of Luis and Ashley Cole. The signing of the Brazilian for £16m seemed to indicate disbelief from the club that Azpilicueta could sustain his form of last season. In fairness, he hasn't; he's got better.

"Azpilicueta is unbeatable," says Mourinho. "For many, many matches I haven't seen one player beat Azpilicueta in an individual duel." It's true, too. You struggle to think of a time when a winger truly got the better of him over the course of a match.

With a new five-year deal signed in September, Azpilicueta could be a long-term fixture in Chelsea's defence. It's a status quo that his manager is more than comfortable with. "Champions League is the competition I think everybody wants to win in football," says Mourinho. "It is not just about the pure talent. Football is also about character and personality.

"I think a team with 11 Azpilicuetas could win the Champions League," the Portuguese concludes. You'd struggle to think of a greater compliment.

Was excellent again. Ridiculous he isn't in the PToTY.

He's a little unfashionable at left back I feel. People tend to favour a left footer. 

 

For a right back playing on his "weaker side", he might just be the best left back in the world. Incredible.

Was excellent again. Ridiculous he isn't in the PToTY.

in fairness, the list would be huge if he was. yes he's been great, but JT should be there above him, as should fabregas. And costa and hazard already made it so it would either be an entirely Chelsea list, or a loooooong list of all players!

The Chelsea Player of the Year awards will be very fiercely fought for though!!

I hear what you're saying, but on merit he's been the best left back no contest. Bertrand's had a good season but Azpi has been on another level all season (bar a couple of games around dec-jan where he seemed to be playing despite injury).

I think Cahill was pretty poor for a while though he's been back to his best in the last month or so. Azpi has to be in there for me.

Fantastic today, he was very close to being our man of the match if it wasn't for our fantastic captain JT. The title of the thread is so right, I saw someone on here the other day refer to him as a "steady left back, nothing more" 

Azpi is an absolutely magnificent full back. Absolute 100% percent focused, ultra determined, tenacious, and as consistent a performer you'll find anywhere.

Steady is a description more befitting of the guy who's in there ahead of him, if anything.

Should have been LB of the year over Bertrand. Excellent for the second successive season and possibly the only right-footer I've seen who's elevated his game at LB. 

He's a little unfashionable at left back I feel. People tend to favour a left footer.

For a right back playing on his "weaker side", he might just be the best left back in the world. Incredible.

I remember Albert Ferrer playing left back for us too, and did well

I read somewhere a while back and found it interesting that most of the best left backs of all time, Maldini, Fachetti, Santos, Brehme etc were all naturally right footed. Now these players reached that level by training their left foot to the point that it was no longer their weaker foot. 

 

Now given that there is usually a dearth of quality left backs compared to right backs, here's the question I'm getting to. What is Dave's long term position for us?