Form Guide: Solid Cesar ruling table topping Chelsea's defence

While Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Manchester City eventually descended into chaos, as Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were red carded late on, the on-pitch brawl shouldn’t take the shine off what was a thoroughly professional second half performance by the Blues. Antonio Conte’s side have now won their last seven Premier League matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding just twice. The fine run of form of course coincides with Conte’s decision to revert to a three-man defence. 

The Italian was expected to deploy the system upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge following Euro 2016, yet opted for the four-man backline in his opening weeks at the Chelsea helm. A 3-0 loss at London rivals Arsenal prompted Conte to tinker with his system and the west London side are all the better for it. With David Luiz deployed as the central defender, the Brazilian is able to maximise his distribution and move forward into midfield, safe in the knowledge he has sufficient cover to his left and right. 

Gary Cahill’s performances have improved with the implementation of a three-man defence, though ample credit deserves to be thrust in the direction of Cesar Azpilicueta. While many anticipated that Conte’s decision to use wing-backs would see the Spaniard deployed on the right, injuries forced Azpilicueta to centre-back, with the 27-year-old performing beyond expectations. While much of the focus has been on the likes of Victor Moses, N’Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, Azpilicueta has remained steadfast in the defence. 

A WhoScored rating of 7.52 at centre-back is the second best of players to make more than five starts at the heart of the defence in the Premier League this season. Yet, while his teammates earn the adulation, and rightly so, Azpilicueta is somewhat overlooked. The former Marseille man is never going to rip up trees with a number of match winning performances, akin to Hazard and Costa, but Azpilicueta is just as important all the same. 

Chelsea have kept the most clean sheets (7) in the Premier League this season, six of which came following the switch to a back three, with it no coincidence that the run of defensive solidity has come on the back of Azpiliceuta’s move from left-back to the right of the back three. Here, it allows Moses ahead of him to attack opponents from deep, aware that he has teammates willing to cover the space the Nigerian leaves behind. 

Kante, performs the duties of two men, such is his work rate, but even then, Azpilicueta is required to ensure Thibaut Courtois is rarely troubled between the sticks. With Moses at times shirking his defensive responsibilities - he’s only made 12 tackles in the Premier League this season - the versatile defender needs to remain solid at the back to counter opponents. Indeed, only Kante and Marcos Alonso (both 3.1) are averaging more tackles per game than Azpilicueta (2.7) of all Chelsea players this term to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘tackling’. 

Along with winning possession, though, Azpilicueta isn’t fazed when pressured by opponents. Chelsea boast the third highest pass success rate (84.2%) in the Premier League this season and a major reason for that is Azpilicueta’s willingness to play the ball out from the back. Only Kante (64) is averaging more passes per game than the Spain international (61.5) of all Chelsea players, which is in turn the fifth best of all Premier League defenders this term, while an 88.6% pass success rate is the third highest of defenders. 

In turn, one of the club’s styles of play is ‘short passes’, with Conte demanding the players build attacks from the back. As such Azpilicueta fits the bill. He’s played more forward passes (383) than any other outfield player in the Premier League this season, so he isn’t passing for the sake of passing, but rather shifting the ball into midfield to help get possession to the attacking personnel as quickly as possible, thus increasing the chances of Chelsea scoring. Given the Blues top the Premier League, it’s evidently an approach that succeeds. 

He’s one of 14 outfielders to play every minute in the Premier League this season, to highlight his impressive fitness levels, his fine discipline and the faith Conte has in Azpilicueta. While much of his regular inclusion at centre-back was at first down to injuries to defensive teammates, he’s since confirmed his position as one of the first names on the teamsheet given his good form following Chelsea’s switch to a three-man defence.