OPINION
Cesar Azpilicueta will go down as a Chelsea legend when he retires from the game. For a long time now the Spaniard has been one of the finest and most consistent defenders in the Premier League, but recently things haven’t been as easy for the full-back. At 29 he is far from finished, but over the past couple of seasons he appears to have lost half a yard of pace and little bit of the timing that made him such a formidable opponent. In the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, the issues that he is facing were plain to see. Against the rapid, relentless pace of Raheem Sterling, Azpilicueta was hung out to dry on more than one occasion, and at times he liked like a real liability. A lot of these problems were papered over when Antonio Conte took it upon himself to play Azpilicueta as a centre half, but ever since Maurizio Sarri shifted him back out wide he has looked like a pale imitation of his former self, and the most worrying thing about it is that those issues – a lack of pace being chief amongst them – will only worsen as the Spanish international approaches the end of his career.
This is Futbol have gathered some of the best tweets below:
AZPI STOP GETTING SPUN LIKE A BEYBLADE PLEASE
— Yoghurt (@TheChelseaTalk) February 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/OdoixSZN/status/1099717240830738432
Azpi is so scared of Sterling
— Khaya. (@Khaya__) February 24, 2019
https://twitter.com/carefreecam_/status/1099717997671919616
https://twitter.com/acickov/status/1099718122125385728
Raheem has Azpi on toast?
— ???? (@enCFC_) February 24, 2019
Azpi is done and it hurts my heart. Conte saw it coming and played him at center back. He’s toast as a fullback.
— Zach Smith (@Zatchbatch) February 24, 2019