Saturday marked a significant turning point for Chelsea’s recent history, as captain and veteran of many campaigns at the club Cesar Azpilicueta was dropped for Reece James.
As Frank Lampard went to great lengths to point out, it was a decision – that is to say that Azpi was dropped because he wanted to get James into the team to match up with Wilfried Zaha, rather than because he was in bad form. But whatever the circumstances, removing Azpilicueta from the first team lineup is a historic shift.
But don’t think that’s going to be the last we see of the Basque. His versatility – he’s played at centre back, left back, right back and right wing back this season alone let’s remember – means that even as he loses his guaranteed starting spot, he will still be needed on a regular basis, either as a starter or as a backup in any of those positions.
If there’s one thing we can be sure, it’s that no matter who he’s up against, he will be raising the level of those around him the whole time, just as he’s always done.
