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Three big questions: Chelsea’s captain Cesar Azpilicueta

By Travis Tyler

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Chelsea FC and AFC Ajax at Stamford Bridge on November 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Chelsea FC and AFC Ajax at Stamford Bridge on November 05, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea and Jordan Ayew of Crystal Palace battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea FC at Selhurst Park on July 07, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Tallis/Pool via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea and Jordan Ayew of Crystal Palace battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea FC at Selhurst Park on July 07, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Tallis/Pool via Getty Images) /

3. Does he have time for one more new position?

Yes, it was already said Azpilicueta probably will not be playing in other positions next season. And what follows is purely speculative/a desire that has been spread around The Pride of London for years. Ready?

Azpilicueta as a holding midfielder.

Don’t run away, just hear it out. Chelsea is in desperate need of another holding midfielder. N’Golo Kante is really the only player that can be trusted behind a pair of eights. Anyone else requires a formation shift (4-2-3-1 in most cases) or a more conservative 4-3-3 that still likely leaves the defense exposed. If Kante is unavailable, what seems like Plan A is out the window.

Now, Azpilicueta has never played in midfield. In fact, James has more repetition there both as a legitimate holding mid (such as with Wigan) and filling the role (such as when he inverted late this season). There is no guarantee that Azpilicueta could work at holding mid. But it is at least something worth seeing once, just like Ross Barkley at striker was (that dream is surely dead though).

A successful holding midfielder needs to have an excellent read of the game, endurance to move about, and enough technique to get other more skilled players involved. That is Azpilicueta throughout. The main hesitation will be his speed, but his read of the game could allow him to circumvent that. Furthermore, being in midfield compared to defense allows for more aggressiveness in positioning and it may allow Azpilicueta to get around his speed even more.

The closest Chelsea has really gotten to this notion is when playing a back three. Under Conte, Azpilicueta often joined midfield, temporarily, to offer another point of passing. Under Lampard, it was not unusual for him to go into full overlapping centerback mode and end up around the box. With James able to invert, Azpilicueta could play in midfield and the two could flow around each other.

It is a pipe dream, but one that The Pride of London has dreamed about for a long time. Just to see it once.

Next. Three big questions: Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi and a foot out the door. dark

What questions do you think need to be asked of the Chelsea captain ahead of next season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!

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