Chelsea: Three under-appreciated Blues and Euro 2020 stars

It’s high time to shout out three under-appreciated Chelsea stars who are lighting things up in the ultra-competitive Euro 2020 competition. It’s no real surprise to Blues fans who these three are. Each played a key role in the team’s qualification for the Champions League and their super dramatic win of that same competition this year. They are captain Cesar Azpilicueta, and defensive midfielders Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.

The praise is long overdue in these pages but watching them in the second half of the Blues season and in the Euros makes it mandatory to give them the credit that is due. Let’s start with the captain, right central defender Azpilicueta. The captain was relegated to the bench by former manager Frank Lampard who had other choices for his back four early last season and was looking at obscurity. Minutes were hard to come by. Yet, Azpilicueta stayed strong, stayed loyal to the team he has been with for so many years, and when his chances came under new gaffer Thomas Tuchel, he took full advantage.

As he always is, Azpilicueta was rock-solid in the back three and while not necessarily a star in the attack at times he showed what he could do by strong runs towards the opposing goal and crosses. In addition to being a constant positive participant in the back three, Azpilicueta also contributed when called upon as a wing-back in Tuchel’s favored 3-4-2-1 formation. While his results there were fine, it’s clear that his best fit is in that back three while Reece James should be the wing-back on the right.

Nonetheless, he was a vital contributor to the Blues, and to top that off, he also delivered for Spain in the Euros. In the games he started, Spain won and Azpilicueta was a strong contributor. Against a tough Croatian side, after a strong burst up field he continued his progress up field to in front of the goal. He topped things off by scoring on a cross with a perfect header to provide Spain’s second goal. Their 5-3 hard-fought extra-time win over Croatia put Spain in the quarter-finals and if coach Luis Enrique is smart, Azpilicueta will be in the starting XI in any future games, as well.

Of course, any Chelsea and Euro 2020 discussion should begin and end with the inimitable N’Golo Kante, the Chelsea, and France master of the midfield. Yet, this missive is devoted to the underappreciated so that’s for another time, perhaps. The first of the two defensive midfielders is Kovacic. He manned a defensive midfield spot for the Croatian national team and helped propel them to the knock-out round, but they fell victim to Spain and were knocked out of the tournament.

He came oh so close to scoring in their final match against Spain on a screamer that went about a foot over the crossbar. It was a brilliant strike and Chelsea fans had to feel bad for the hard-working midfielder that he just missed possibly turning that game and Croatia’s chances around. But it was not to be. Nevertheless, Kovacic’s masterful dominance in midfield with few mistakes had little to do with their elimination and much to do with their advancing to the knock-out stage in the first place. Congratulations, Kovacic on a marvelous tournament.

The final of the three underappreciated Chelsea stars who were critical to the Blues’ success and their Euro 2020 side’s as well, is the regista, Italy’s Jorginho. Bench-ridden by Lampard, the Italian’s situation seemed tenuous at best at Chelsea before Tuchel’s arrival and his insertion into the defensive midfield alongside either Kante or Kovacic. Together, the three comprised a formidable trio of world-class talent to throw at any and all opponents. With Kante suffering injuries and needing some time off, Jorginho teamed with Kovacic and along with a rejuvenated back three closeted opposing attacks, and helped register clean sheet after clean sheet.

One thing is certain in regular-season games, you don’t lose when you don’t concede and Chelsea didn’t do so much at all. Jorginho was a key piece in Tuchel’s chess set. While the strikers and forwards misfired much of the time, the lockdown midfield and stifling backline held firm to only require a single Chelsea goal much of the time to take home the three points. Jorginho contributed mightily to that success.

Now, in the Euros, he is once again the field general he was previously for Mauricio Sarri at Napoli and Chelsea. He is the midfield maestro directing play and delivering passes that are crisp and true. Mistakes are few and solid play has been the name of the game both for the resurgent Azzurri and Jorginho. He is helping lead a new generation of Italian team stars to perhaps renewed glory as they continue on in the Euro 2020 competition. Congratulations, Jorginho on a terrific campaign for the Champions League-winning Blues and for the Italian blue side in the Euro competition, as well.

So that’s it, a quick salute, shout-out, acknowledgment, and congratulations to these three less-heralded Chelsea stars. They excelled in the latter part of the 2020/21 season for Chelsea and for their national teams in the Euro 2020 competition and deserve the recognition. And they all will likely be back in Chelsea blue in 2021/22. Can’t wait for that new season to begin. Meanwhile, watching the Euros and the Chelsea stars showing their world-class talent has been a blast. Now, it’s on to the next game.