César Azpilicueta

[DDA 9,690]

He's been an excellent servant for the club but he isn't captain material.

 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, DDA said:

He's been an excellent servant for the club but he isn't captain material.

Who is?

I have said this numerous times and I know people will keep on going back to the days of Terry. Yes, he was a great captain but he also played with some leaders in the team - Lampard, Drogba, Cech etc. There was always him or someone else making sure everyone bring their A-game week in week out. Never mind Azpi, this side just doesn't have one such character to do that. Maybe it's how modern football is these days. 

[DDA 9,690]

17 minutes ago, Jason said:

Who is?

I have said this numerous times and I know people will keep on going back to the days of Terry. Yes, he was a great captain but he also played with some leaders in the team - Lampard, Drogba, Cech etc. There was always him or someone else making sure everyone bring their A-game week in week out. Never mind Azpi, this side just doesn't have one such character to do that. Maybe it's how modern football is these days. 

That's the problem. There isn't a captain in our squad. I think Jorginho was showing more signs of in game management and passion than Azpi before Lamps decided to bench him.

[Tomo 21,733]

42 minutes ago, Jason said:

Who is?

I have said this numerous times and I know people will keep on going back to the days of Terry. Yes, he was a great captain but he also played with some leaders in the team - Lampard, Drogba, Cech etc. There was always him or someone else making sure everyone bring their A-game week in week out. Never mind Azpi, this side just doesn't have one such character to do that. Maybe it's how modern football is these days. 

While i'm not trying to say Azpi is up there with them in terms of leadership lets not pretend it was all parties and rainbows with them either. Numerous displays under Scolari and in 10/11 we were everybit as bad as what we can see now, infact in the Avram season they lost 10 points in injury time.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

3 hours ago, DDA said:

That's the problem. There isn't a captain in our squad. I think Jorginho was showing more signs of in game management and passion than Azpi before Lamps decided to bench him.

In all fairness I disagree because I would of thought the in game management as a whole has to come more from the sidelines from the coach/manager.

Obviously good players can see what is happening around them and identify these things but for instance, if the coach wants them to press high/be 20m further up the pitch in the last 10 mins and some players will maybe think its better sitting off, I mean who's right or who's wrong? Who's decision is it that ultimately matters above all? The managers usually and thats why he is paid to manager the team and thats why they do come out and take responsibility for these things at times. I mean City haven't been all relentless press high every match for 90 mins since Pep came because they manage spells of the game and neither have Liverpool because again they adjust and manage the game when they need to. 

Obviously in terms of maybe last 5 or 10 mins tonight, the fact we conceded 89th minute sums it up that there is a lack of it at times as well as many other games throughout the season. I dont think Lampard is too dissimilar from past managers where its likely his way is the only way to do it. Okay we can play different formations, use different players to suit games but still just like Conte before Sarri and Jose before Conte, I can see Frank is more in that mould where he will want players to do what he wants and maybe not be similar to what Carlo or Zidane are like where they kind of leave things the way they were and let the players have more a say or more freedom with some of these things.

There have been games where we have gone and taken the sting out of phases of matches by managing the games better, just recently at City, the super cup v Liverpool, that game at Wolves away. Obviously there is more and theres also been games where it hasn't been done so well. 

I also don’t get this captain gripe with Azpi. He is severely respected by the squad and many many other top players in the league. In terms of seniority as well as how his career path has developed since arriving he is the best choice in the squad. Jorginho has shown in his time here as well good leadership qualities as well as at Naples which is why I can see in a young squad he has been given such a role ahead of others such as Rudiger or Kante. 

This captain thing was the same with Cahill in Conte’s second season and I do think it will continue to be a recurring theme because it was also the same when Azpi was made vice captain and it was things such as “greatly deserved” “will make a good captain” “very good choice” etc as it was most of the time when Cahill was wearing the armband in Terry’s place (although some did want Azpi to wear it beforehand).... in general some of the comments about Azpi on a whole the last few seasons be it about that he was written off as finished, isnt a good enough captain etc drive me insane. It just strikes me as madness. Reece James was going to be the number 1 RB from as soon as he was fit and had kicked a ball in the PL. based off the last few games hes had I would severely disagree that he will be first choice for another 1 or 2 years yet which obviously isnt a pot shot at him we all knew he would need time to grow and settle in the team on a more regular consistent basis etc. as he had come from the championship. The promise is there obviously as we have seen at times but we have also seen in other players at other clubs and even to a more severe effect here with Josh McEachran, they need that time to fully develop into these players. Even Rashford was in and out or on the bench when Van Gaal had all his players back from injury which ultimately led to him getting his shot in the first place with United. Now he really is undoubted first choice for club and country having played over 150 career games since making his debut 4 or 5 seasons ago. 
 

[Jase 43,479]

2 hours ago, Tomo said:

While i'm not trying to say Azpi is up there with them in terms of leadership lets not pretend it was all parties and rainbows with them either. Numerous displays under Scolari and in 10/11 we were everybit as bad as what we can see now, infact in the Avram season they lost 10 points in injury time.

For sure. I was talking about in general. If we want to go into specifics, then you could throw in the first half of 2011/12 season as well. 

[communicate 2,703]

3 hours ago, DDA said:

He's been an excellent servant for the club but he isn't captain material.

 

I don't understand with this criticism. Based on article that i read many player said that Azpi is the most professional player that we have, that imo is captain material. If you want player to coordinate backline, he has to be cb. Not only rb is freaking on the right but he will go up much more. 

[Jase 43,479]

3 hours ago, DDA said:

I think Jorginho was showing more signs of in game management and passion than Azpi before Lamps decided to bench him.

If in-game management and passion are the criteria now to be a captain, then no wonder we're fucked in this department.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[killer1257 3,282]

 

Was decent today.

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[Magic Lamps 11,654]

a defensive masterclass in how to control a pacy winger. Just dont give him an acre of space before he controls him and give him no room to run at after he has controlled it. Sarr had one chance to run at azpi and did not even dare and crossed instead. Other than that it was the other way round. Sarr was chasing Azpi's shadow because we defended his side well as a team.

[nyikolajevics 2,577]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

a defensive masterclass in how to control a pacy winger. Just dont give him an acre of space before he controls him and give him no room to run at after he has controlled it. Sarr had one chance to run at azpi and did not even dare and crossed instead. Other than that it was the other way round. Sarr was chasing Azpi's shadow because we defended his side well as a team.

Dave is a fucking legend... During his 8 years at Chelsea there were several managers leading us but sooner or later he became starter.. We won big trophies with him being RB, LB and CB too, so special. 

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

I don’t know if its been mentioned but I think its fair to say this guy has to be one of the unluckiest top international level players of the last 6 or 7 years.
 

Can play any position in defence basically but has had to contend with some of the very best of those positions of that time period. Carjaval at RB, Pique/Ramos at CB, Alba at Lb... if he wasnt Spanish and was another nationality he would probably be closer to 100 international caps and not only have 25. 

[Magic Lamps 11,654]

4 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

I don’t know if its been mentioned but I think its fair to say this guy has to be one of the unluckiest top international level players of the last 6 or 7 years.
 

Can play any position in defence basically but has had to contend with some of the very best of those positions of that time period. Carjaval at RB, Pique/Ramos at CB, Alba at Lb... if he wasnt Spanish and was another nationality he would probably be closer to 100 international caps and not only have 25. 

Good for us. It will surely prolong his career. Also Carvajal plays over him bc he is at RM. everyone can see Azpi is the better defender

[MoroccanBlue 5,303]

6 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

I don’t know if its been mentioned but I think its fair to say this guy has to be one of the unluckiest top international level players of the last 6 or 7 years.
 

Can play any position in defence basically but has had to contend with some of the very best of those positions of that time period. Carjaval at RB, Pique/Ramos at CB, Alba at Lb... if he wasnt Spanish and was another nationality he would probably be closer to 100 international caps and not only have 25. 

Azpilicueta doesn't at all fit the mold of the technical ability the entire Spanish national team has. It's the very reason why they never considered him until WC 2014, and that was down to his extraordinary season under Mourinho. 

 

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Jase 43,479]

One for the haters...

[NikkiCFC 7,953]

Another Azpi season.

3420 minutes possible in PL, he played 3230.