Chelsea: Three captains show their worth for their nations

Chelsea used to be overflowing with leaders. For club or country, the old guard was almost exclusively made up of captains or vice captains that took their experience back and forth between Chelsea and their nations. Perhaps even more than their abilities, their intangibles helped Chelsea reach unprecedented heights.

The old guard is gone now and is slowly being replaced by a new guard. Somewhere in between, however, are Chelsea’s current leaders. Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, and Thiago Silva are all helping to lead their nations and Chelsea to new heights. These intangibles are hard to replace.

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta has finally been brought back into the Spanish fold. It shouldn’t be surprising that his reintroduction has coincided with Spain shifting from death by 1000 passes to an actual threatening team. The Spanish labored against Switzerland, needing penalties to get by, but they showed true grit and tenacity like Azpilicueta often does.

Azpilicueta’s role for Spain isn’t too different than the one he played under Thomas Tuchel. The formation is different on paper but the application still sees him as a third centerback in possession that is occasionally tasked with getting forward. From Spanish exile to Spanish main stay, Azpilicueta is showing exactly the same qualities that Tuchel valued so much at the close of the season.

Next up was vice captain Jorginho’s Italy. Jorginho has been playing as the most central midfielder in Italy’s set up. It’s not quite the role he played for Maurizio Sarri, Frank Lampard, or Thomas Tuchel but it is more of a mix of all three. He’s been ever present for the Italians in their excellent Euro campaign.

Belgium should have caused Italy far more trouble than they did. So much of why the Belgians looked ineffective is Italy’s midfield and defense. In both possession and out of it, Italy had complete control over almost everything the Belgians tried to do. Only Jeremy Doku and Romelu Lukaku came close to causing Italy issues but they were well minimized by the Italians.

Elsewhere, Chelsea’s third captain Thiago Silva captained Brazil in a scrappy win over Chile. Chile had been crushing Brazil on the counter, but the Brazilians settled as the first half went on. Scoring early in the first half, Brazil quickly went down a man as Gabriel Jesus was sent off for a flying kung fu kick to a player’s chest.

Brazil had to go on the back foot and they could have easily wilted with nearly a full half of 10 men. They didn’t. Defensively, Brazil was excellent and that is in no small part to Silva’s leadership at the back. He directed others expertly and chose the perfect moments to roam from position to tackle. Brazil advanced to the semifinals in regular time and Silva is sure to continue to play a part going forward.

For three matches in a row, Chelsea’s three captains showed their intangibles and pushed their nations along. They did the exact same all season with Chelsea last season and Tuchel will love that they are continuing to show their qualities this summer. All three will play a vital role in any success for Chelsea in the coming season.