Chelsea fans are still questioning N’Golo Kante’s adjustment to his new role in Maurizio Sarri’s system and if Sarri is truly utilizing the Frenchman’s unique potential. Cesar Azpilicueta should be the next player shuffled to a new role.
Like N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta’s performances under Antonio Conte were fantastic and consistent. He was arguably the best defender the Premier League, even as he was playing as a third center back and not in his “natural” position as a fullback.
Playing as part of a back-three brings the best out of the Spaniard. His one-on-one defending is among the best in the world and his positioning is outstanding.
Being on a three-man defence also relieves him of any significant offensive responsibilities. His attacking game is simply not good enough for a position or system which requires him to contribute going forward. Yes, he knows how to pick out his striker’s head when crossing the ball, but other than that he has very little to offer in possession. His decision making can be slow, his passing creativity is very limited and he does not push forward the attack by bringing the ball forward, nor he does not make any forward runs inside the opponent’s box. These last two traits are where Marcos Alonso excels.
Azpilicueta’s weaknesses were especially exposed those few times when Antonio Conte played him as a right wingback. At wingback last season, he averaged a mere 1.24 dribbles and 0.36 progressive runs per 90 minutes. To put that into perspective, Victor Moses averaged 4.8 dribbles and 1.46 progressive runs per 90 minutes in the same position.
When the Spaniard played as a fullback under previous Chelsea coaches – starting with when he knocked Ashley Cole out of the starting XI – Azpilicueta was much less involved in the attack. But now Sarri is asking much more from him than his former managers did.
Sarri worships possession football and demands his team have good passers and possession players in every area of the pitch. It is the same reason behind David Luiz getting his manager’s full support even after his defensive shenanigans. The Brazilian center back’s hefty passing range from the back is priceless to his manager, who expects all of his defenders to provide similar value.
So far this season, Azpillicueta is one of four players to have not missed a single minute in the Premier League (alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga, Luiz and N’Golo Kante). His position seems secure, especially with the captain’s armband on, and his possible replacements do not seem to provide a threat to his place.
Davide Zappacosta has not done enough in his Europa League performances to convince his manager he deserves more playing time in the Premier League, and Sarri does not consider Victor Moses an option for fullback. Interestingly, Sarri played Ethan Ampadu as a right back for 30 minutes in last week’s win over PAOK, where he perfectly completed 19/19 passes. With that, it is too early to suggest he has any real future being deployed in that position in the future. Ola Aina, too, has looked impressive up to this point for his loan side, Torino. He has played mainly as a wingback, and it will be interesting to see what future the club holds for him.
Let’s get things straight: like N’Golo Kante, Cesar Azpilicueta deservingly holds a firm place in the starting XI. The whole discussion here is regarding how much of his true potential is being utilized, how much juice is being squeezed out the lemon.
If Azpillicueta had proven so much as a center back, why is he not being considered one? Yes, he had previously played as a third center back and not as part of a pair, and of course there’s a big difference between the two formations. But surely his best qualities will be better extracted as a center back, while minimizing his weaknesses in Sarri’s scheme.
We have already seen what kind of chaos lurks in defense when playing against quality teams. David Luiz at times only adds fuel to an already existing fire. Azpillicueta, on the other hand, is undoubtedly the type of player who can calm down such chaos from a “defense first” role. Cesar Azpillicueta has already proven in the last two seasons he can mark and get the best of the biggest center-forwards, despite not being the tallest Chelsea defender. If you suspend disbelief just long enough, the two could even swap positions at the moment. Just imagine if they had each other’s physical traits!
So on one side, you have a very good attacking-minded player that is comfortable with the ball at the back, but with too many shaky defensive moments. On the other, you have an extremely talented defensive-minded player, who does not look too comfortable with the ball, especially down the line.
A switch of positions would seem to take down two birds with one stone. Yes, both of their weaknesses would not be fully covered, but surely their better qualities will be better utilized. Not only would Chelsea get more juice from these lemons, they could even turn it into more lemonade.