Thomas Tuchel raves about 'fantastic' Chelsea FC star Cesar Azpilicueta
Thomas Tuchel lavishes praise on Cesar Azpilicueta following his excellent form for Chelsea FC
Thomas Tuchel has lavished praise on the “fantastic” Cesar Azpilicueta following his fine form for Chelsea FC in recent games.
The Spanish defender was deployed at right wing-back against West Ham United as the Blues secured an important 1-0 win at the London Stadium to bolster their hopes of finishing in the top four.
Azpilicueta has been a consistent performer for Chelsea FC since having signed for the south west London side back in the summer of 2012.
The 31-year-old has scored one goal and made one assist in 22 Premier League games for Chelsea FC so far this season.
Tuchel was delighted by what he saw from Azpilicueta on Saturday and he is thrilled to be able to call upon the Spaniard this season.
Speaking in an interview after Saturday’s game, Tuchel said of Azpilicueta: “He’s fantastic and I want him absolutely to be on the pitch because he’s a fantastic captain and a fantastic sportsman.
“He is everything Chelsea means in my point of view – he’s humble, he’s a fighter, he thinks constantly about winning and he does everything to be in shape every three days. He’s a true professional and there is no work too hard or distance too long for him.
“We used him as a wing-back and it was a bit hard because he had to do several long runs. It was a bit different for him but we chose the back three with Andreas, Toni and Thiago because we knew about West Ham’s strength in set-pieces and we wanted to gain some centimetres in height.
“Azpi is totally open to anything once he sees the reason why. He was very excited to be involved a bit more offensively and it’s nice to have this. The two positions [wing-back and full-back] suit him very well and he’s absolutely reliable.”
The Spaniard will be hoping to be involved when Chelsea FC take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Tuesday night.
Chelsea FC will face Fulham at home in their next Premier League game on Saturday 1 May.
