As is so often the case after a bad defeat, Cesar Azpilicueta stepped up to face the media, and he had to field some tricky questions after Chelsea slumped to a 1-0 loss at home to Valencia.
The captain denied that anything negative had happened in the penalty incident involving Ross Barkley, assuring the interviewer on BT Sport that Ross was one of the designated takers, and the other players were just “encouraging” him.
Azpilicueta: "They were encouraging him to have the confidence to score. Ross is one of the best penalty takers in the team and one who takes them. He had the confidence and he was unlucky hitting the bar." #cfc #CHEVCF
— Paul Brown (@pbsportswriter) September 17, 2019
Well, anyone watching on TV will know that’s not the case. It was very clear that Willian and Jorginho were asking for the ball to take the spot kick themselves. Tammy Abraham and Jorginho did eventually give their midfielder an encouraging slap, but only reluctantly.
It’s understandable why Azpi is protecting the Barkley. It was an awful moment but there’s no point making a media storm out of it any more than there will already will be.
But he can’t be thinking that we’re buying that. What happened was clear, and fans won’t forgive Ross quickly.
