Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has been one of the better players in the club over the last few years. He has defined what consistency is at Chelsea.
After starting 73 consecutive Premier League games for the club, he was finally rested versus Crystal Palace on Saturday. However, it was not an easy choice and Chelsea coach Frank Lampard has explained why.
Lampard played Reece James in place of Dave and revealed it was a hard call.
As per the Sun, when speaking about this selection choice, Lampard noted “These are the kind of decisions I have to make as a manager. It would have been harder to speak to Azpi about leaving him out if he wasn’t in his best form, but because he has been playing well he knew I was only looking to give Reece some minutes.”
“Azpi is such a great person to have around the place, he wants everything for this club and he understands my need to look at other options.
“I thought Reece did well up against one of the best wingers in the Premier League, someone who is dangerous one on one, and on most of the occasions, he dealt with Zaha which is not easy.
“As a manager, I have to make these decisions, and if anything it’s given me some more decisions to make going forward.”
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