Athletic: Azpilcueta not ‘closest friend in the group’ of Rudiger but they have mutual ‘respect’

I’ve come to the conclusion that it is best for Chelsea, and best for all parties that we move on from the player unrest thing for the good of getting results on the pitch.

Clearly there has been some issues, but nobody can be entirely sure how big or how small they are, and these things happen at every club.

‘Until next time Frank’, read Chelsea insider Dan McCarthy’s tribute to Frank Lampard HERE!

However, as is the nature of the beast in media, top sources are still talking about the potential issues.

Having said that, The Athletic have provided a very balanced outlook and conclusion on the potential situation this morning.

They claim that Rudiger did speak with Azpilicueta at Tuchel’s first training session about the situation and offered his support. They say that while they may not regard each other as being their closest friend in the group, their relationship is one of respect.

Athletic sources suggests incidents have taken place in the camp but they can be perceived in both a positive and negative light.

They quote their source telling them:

“Toni is a lively guy. He is a strong person. If say a younger player is acting like they’ve made it and words are said or a tough tackle is made in a training game, does that make him nasty? Senior players in the past would do the same but that would be seen as leadership.”

Very interesting to say the least!

Chelsea News