Chelsea FC 2016/17 Player Preview: Cesar Azpilicueta
Cesar Azpilicueta is one of the few Chelsea FC players to enter the 2016/17 pre-season with little to worry about his place in the line-up. The workmanlike defender refuses to be complacent, and continues to earn his coach’s and club’s confidence.
Cesar Azpilicueta was one of Chelsea’s very few players to emerge from 2015/16 unscathed. Along with Willian, the Spaniard put in steady, workmanlike performances throughout the season. His position at right back was secure as he stayed injury-free and consistent in his defense.
Antonio Conte’s 4-2-4/4-4-2 formations from the pre-season restore Azpilicueta to his natural position at right back. Branislav Ivanovic’s shaky performances before suffering a shoulder injury in pre-season training disposed Conte to play Azpilicueta on the right and slot in various young players on the left. Ola Aina is much more a threat to Ivanovic than he is to Azpilicueta
Antonio Conte may not shape Chelsea into his trademark 3-5-2 this season. If and when he uses it, he will expect Azpilicueta to adapt to a new role. As an advanced wingback on a five-man midfield, Azpilicueta will add a more dynamic element to his game.
Related Story: Chelsea FC player evaluations 2015/16: Cesar Azpilicueta
Over the last few seasons Ivanovic has been the defender most likely to bomb forward on an overlap run on the attack. Azpilicueta lacks Ivanovic’s striking instincts, but he is adept at moving forward and making overlapping runs beyond the winger.
The five-man midfield is not an exclusively attacking formation, particularly under Antonio Conte. The 3-5-2 is a defensively secure system where a dense midfield stymies the opposition attack before the opposition can reach a more compact backline.
Azpilicueta may find himself making his trademark one-on-one challenges further up the pitch than usual. This creates the potential liability that a speedy attacker will get the ball past Azpilicueta with plenty of room to run clear towards the backline and goal.
Azpilicueta has shut down the left side of the pitch so effectively by dispossessing his opposite number 20-30 yards from his end-line, or fighting a compact battle along the touchline until he gets a clearance. Azpilicueta’s close-in man-defense and positioning takes away the forward’s options for crossing or maneuvering. If Azpilicueta is defending from a wing back position, though, his opposition has more room to play the ball past him or find an open pass lane.
Azpilicueta has rarely been challenged that far up the pitch. Two elements of Antonio Conte’s decision to employ the 3-5-2 will be his wing backs readiness to assume that role, and his confidence in his three center-backs to clean up any balls or men that get through. Given Chelsea’s known deficiencies in this area, Azpilicueta will likely spend most of next season in a familiar four-man line.
Under the new management, many players are anxious about their roles and the security of their place in the starting XI. Cesar Azpilicueta has little to worry about, as his performances and attitude will keep him an integral part of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.