'Cole' shoulder: Why Jose Mourinho’s right to stick with Cesar Azpilicueta

Cesar Azpilicueta

At the start of the season if you had asked anyone in football who Ashley Cole’s understudy was the answer would have been the same, Ryan Bertrand. The name of Cesar Azpilicueta (who very kindly this week produced a video explaining how to say his name) would have only been reserved to the opposite flank.

Nevertheless Cole’s poor form has seen him replaced by the Spaniard commonly known as Dave for the past five matches in all competitions. This run stretches back to Chelsea’s tame 2-0 defeat at St James’ Park at the start of November. After the game Mourinho said he could made a mistake with “all eleven players” but Cole has been one to really take a hit.

The England international is getting on in years but he remains one of the most experienced defenders in the game. His contract is up at the end of the year and Chelsea are obviously looking at cost-effective ways to replace him. Southampton’s Luke Shaw has been mentioned on more than one occasion but bringing him to the Bridge isn’t going to be cheap.

In the short-term at least then it looks like Azpilicueta has the left-back slot nailed down and Mourinho is perfectly vindicated to keep faith with him. In his last three league games he has looked composed on the ball, tidy in the tackle and he’s shown a great willingness to get forward.

The game away at West Ham was a particular highlight for the defender. Not only did he make eight clearances he was also a constant threat on Chelsea’s left, gleefully exploiting the space created by Eden Hazard and then Andre Schurrle. Against Southampton on Saturday he had a quieter game offensively but still managed to get forward and support attacks when he could.

Ironically Cole’s performances up until the Newcastle game hadn’t been that bad, certainly not of a level to warrant being dropped. Without wishing to second guess a manager like Mourinho the most obvious explanation would appear to be that Cole was originally going to be dropped for a just a couple of games to serve as a reminder that no-one is untouchable. Azpilicueta has performed at such a level though that means he doesn’t deserve to lose his place. It’s win-win for Mourinho, this way he gets excellent performances from the Spaniard and then an extremely eager Cole when he eventually returns.

Azpilicueta hasn’t made a huge impression at Stamford Bridge since he joined from Marseille at the start of the 2012/13 season. In fairness he is behind one of the most formidable right-backs in the world so Cole’s exclusion from the team has given him the perfect opportunity. His test now is to try and keep hold of that place for as long as possible.