Match Report: Azpilicueta deserving of a starting berth in Chelsea XI

For the second successive game, Chelsea manager José Mourinho fielded César Azpilicueta at left-back. The Spaniard, predominantly a right-back, impressed in the role, regardless of the need to continuously cut onto his right foot when attacking the opposition on the left flank. Many a supporter feared that Azpilicueta’s offensive threat would be limited as a result, but the former Marseille ace was a strong performer in the position at Stamford Bridge.

As proven by Kyle Naughton this season, playing a right-footed player at left-back has slowed the offensive side of the game, exhibited in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 defeat to West Ham United earlier this season. The full-back would press forward with verve, only to slow the attack by shifting the ball onto his right foot. Not only did this allow the Hammers to bring men back to defend in numbers, but also congested the play in the middle of the park, much to the advantage of the visitors on the day.

This wasn’t the case against West Brom, however. Granted, Chelsea required a last minute penalty from Eden Hazard to secure a point but Azpilicueta churned out a solid, if unspectacular, performance in the stalemate with the Baggies. Mourinho confirmed after the game that the display in the 3-0 win over Schalke on Wednesday was the reason for his decision to retain the former Marseille man on the left, coming just days after the 2-0 loss at Newcastle United.

What this saw was England regular Ashley Cole forced to cope with a place on the bench, leading to speculation that the experienced full-back had been carrying an injury. “He (Azpilicueta) was (first choice) today. Let’s see what happens next week, but he played very well against Schalke and again in this game. He made zero mistakes,” were the words of Mourinho in his post-match press conference and his decision to continue with Azpilicueta at left-back was justified.

While a 6.8 from WhoScored.com may not be the most impressive of ratings, his solidity in the position, perhaps considered alien to a player of his capability, stood out, especially when taking into consideration that West Brom focused more of their attacks down their right side. The 24-year-old made 4 tackles, 1 interception and won both of his aerial duels during his 73 minutes on the pitch, with the Spaniard replaced at the expense of John Obi Mikel as Chelsea went in search of an equaliser having gone 2-1 down 5 minutes prior to his withdrawal.

With a 90% pass accuracy to match his impressive defensive display, this denotes how the full-back looked to retain possession when on the ball, while linking up well with Hazard on the left flank, Frank Lampard and Ramires in the midfield and John Terry alongside him in the backline. This precedes the 7.8 he earned in the win over Schalke last week, during which Azpilicueta again managed a 90% pass success from his 77 passes.

Making 5 tackles, 5 clearances and 1 interception in the Champions League encounter emphasises Mourinho’s praise of the Spaniard and highlights his notable performance. Azpilicueta may not have been able to prevent West Brom netting twice on Saturday, but his reliability means he’s likely to keep his place in the first team after the international break.

And after Cole’s disappointing performance in the loss to Newcastle last weekend, the 32-year-old picking up a score of 6.0 in the fixture, fans wouldn’t begrudge the full-back starting at West Ham in the next Premier League encounter. A wrong-footed defender at full-back may not be ideal for the attacking impetus of a team, but Azpilicueta has proven that he’s deserving of a spot in the starting XI, even if that is at left-back.