Chelsea’s goals against: Cesar Azpilicueta stranded and scapegoated

Cesar Azpilicueta was Chelsea’s last-man-back defender for three of the four goals conceded to Manchester United. This, stripped of context or inquiry as to why he was in that position, led him to be the scapegoat for many fans.

Apparently another defence of Cesar Azpilicueta is necessary. In the absence of Marcos Alonso, scapegoat duties fell to Azpilicueta after the loss to Manchester United. Must be something about Spanish full-backs. Examining the build-up to each of Manchester United’s goals shows how Azpilicueta was doing the job he has always done for Chelsea, and how that left him equally exposed to the opposition and the blame.

Goal #1, 17′: Kurt Zouma concedes penalty to Marcus Rashford

Jorginho pulls back Andreas Pereira as Manchester United break into Chelsea’s defensive third. Anthony Taylor plays the advantage, and right as he does so Andreas Christensen pinches up in an attempt to clear the ball dislodged by Jorginho’s foul. Jesse Lingard knocks the loose ball past Christensen, whose foot catches either the ball, the ground or Lingard.

The Dane does an odd little hop-twirl-skip, reminiscent of Jorginho’s penalty technique, as the play streams past him. This leaves Rashford with open space ahead of him in all directions until Zouma drops back and to his (Zouma’s) right to get in Rashford’s way. Azpilicueta and Jorginho are a step or two behind Rashford, only catching up with him as he tumbles under Zouma’s illicit challenge.

The blame for this goal fell squarely on Zouma, not Azpilicueta, but the sequence foreshadows much of what was to come, not only tactically but in the pundits’ habit of blaming the last man back for his handling of a situation that was already out of Chelsea’s control.

Zouma’s tackle was clumsy, but he was one-on-one against one of the Premier League’s best one-on-one forwards. Zouma’s centre-back partner was 10 yards behind the play; his left-back was on the left, ostensibly covering a pass even though no one was there; and the only defenders trailing the play were Azpilicueta and the defensively-deficient midfielder who set the United sequence in motion.

Goal #2, 65′: Anthony Martial wrong-sides Cesar Azpilicueta

Unlike the first goal, which started with a smart advantage played by referee Anthony Taylor, the second goal started with one of many amateurishly poor non-calls by Taylor in the second half. United brought down Tammy Abraham at the edge of their box. Taylor did not call the foul, and a United player sent the ball to Rashford in open space near midfield.

The situation was 3v3 when Rashford came across midfield. Cesar Azpilicueta was sprinting directly behind Rashford in pursuit, even as Anthony Martial overlapped to Chelsea’s right as Rashford drove towards the centre and played the ball across to Chelsea’s left to Jesse Lingard.

Andreas Pereira ended up with the ball just outside the left side of Chelsea’s box as the Blues established their defensive line, with Andreas Christensen marking Rashford on the penalty spot and Azpilicueta marking Martial. Pereira’s cross came straight to Martial, who bodied himself ball-side of Azpilicueta to volley the pass into the net.

This goal fell the most on Azpilicueta. He did not have the proper positioning or the strength to hold off Martial and prevent the Frenchman from getting ball-side of him. Azpilicueta lost a one-on-one battle.

The one possible defence for Azpilicueta is that he was playing outside his man because of the numerous times last season Chelsea were caught ball-watching on one side as an opposition player came wide around the other side, out-flanking Chelsea’s entire (overly narrow, overly central, wholly unaware) defensive structure. Azpilicueta had all three forwards in front of him, and his opposite number was Luke Shaw, hardly an offensive threat sneaking in high and deep. Although, to be fair, Shaw had four more assists and only one fewer goal than Jorginho last season.

It’s also worth noting that Martial’s shot TBO’d Kepa Arrizabalaga. Arrizabalaga was moving laterally, creating a wider five-hole for the shot, so it was more forgivable than Thibaut Courtois shipping goals through his gaping thigh gap, but even so. A goal through the legs is a saveable goal.