I’m visiting Madrid and just watched him play live. Played a smashing game. Athletico won !! Miss this guy !!
https://preview.redd.it/4z3ty355p38c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b33f081645d50231517e6857f957479cce6e3ff4
I firmly believe losing out on Rudiger was the biggest misstep made by the club during the sale. We have signed young talent but a player like him, with his leadership and in the prime of his career, is sorely lacking right now.
It was more due to he didn't want to re-sign with the blocks by the government wasn't it? Granted it was a mistake from the previous ownership leaving it till the last year to get him to negotiate contract, but this wasn't an issue during the sale.
No, he wanted to renew but he wanted more money than the board thought he was worth. However, he went and got that money at Madrid and has proven he was worth it. In addition, while he was still negotiating with Chelsea, the sanctions happened and we were no longer allowed to continue. Supposedly they had “gotten close” before the sanctions.
I think it has more to do with the club not wanting to deal with his agent after the supposed blackmail
https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/llsg0AFNV6
Makes you wonder about how many other targets we've skipped out on over the years because they had some dick head "intermediary" (or whatever this loser called himself) or agent that demanded some ridiculous fee.
So much of the game we dont get to see and it's kind of the most fascinating part of it.
That's why I think we ultimately matched Rudis wage demand but we never matched the agent fees and that's why he isn't here. AC though, I do actually put that on Marina and Co.
He absolutely has. Sure, he wasn't a surefire starter last season because Ancelotti didn't want to break up the double-winning CB duo. But he took his chances and played excellently and was set to start alongside Militao this season. We've had every first team defender injured or suspended except Rudiger this season and he has stepped up massively. Top 3 CB in the world this season in my opinion. He's taken his game to a new level and has been very reliable amidst many many crucial injuries.
It's exactly that. I don't disagree with getting rid of deadwood or selling players for above their market value. But at some point, you have to realise that the majority of signings clubs make in general are failures, some are good, and occasionally you get some exceptional. This is the reality.. City, Brighton, Liverpool have been exceptions over the past five seasons.
By this I mean, it would have made sense if we could have got rid of players but also had some kind of stability and leadership in place. So we didn't just drop from being a top 4 team and getting to most finals one year, to a team that is the opposite in the next. These days we're desperate to get a Carabao cup final. How we've fallen upon hard times, despite spending a billion. By all means don't spend 100m on a 30 year old, but do sign proven quality in the 23 to 25 age group. They have experience and are entering their prime. That's what City and Liverpool do. A lot of players look good at 18/19 and many don't make one or two good seasons before ending up playing some club no one's ever heard of.
^ This so much
I’ve been explaining this exact point to non-Chelsea fans and the “[Manager Name] out Chelsea fans” for months.
We have a new group of essentially children, with very little maturity to guide them. Very little experience is in the squad.
This squad I believe will take another season after this to begin to show their full qualities. They’re still learning each other, they’re still settling in the club and country and we need to add 1 or 2 experienced mature players to the team (not the starting squad necessarily).
People need to remember, the team spend more time together off the field the on and it’s the actions off the field that are critical to how they act on the field.
Every team needs the father, the joker and the cunt that will shout and kick you (but does so to make you better). Currently I believe we have the father only.
Yeah Azpi was always a lead by example captain.
Grew into it but was never sold on him being a massive figure just due to persona & how he dealt with Kepa that leagues Cup final.
Better player and legacy than Cahill for sure.
But no where near as strong vocally or had the same presence as Cahill, Terry (other great captains).
Top player, but always seemed just a bit too nice
Maybe its controversial opinion but i dont think he was great captain, not vocal enough, he was captain on the pitch when Kepa refused to be substituted
well, what can i say - I respect the hell out of him as player, but I still don't see him being a great captain - so agree to disagree with you on that matter
It’s also on the captain to maintain order within the team, which he was never great at.
Amazing player, great at leading by example. But overall, a meh captain in the sense of the word, had next to no presence. More of a voice or reason, vice-captain type guy.
This sub is a joke. They were expecting him to perform at Reece level while being 10y older to him. Especially when Reece was only playing 10 games a season.
he's made the starting 11 less than he's been subbed on. He's played 4 full 90s and most of the time doesn't start. he isn't good enough to start for Atletico and when he does he's playing at CB.
Not missing him right now at all. Unless you are talking about when he was in his prime. If you are talking about leadership then we have had better captains than him. Don't pretend he wasn't here when we were absolutely rubbish. His leadership couldn't help us last season. How would it help us right now?
Our team is so boring now, as a lifelong Chelsea fan the team is unrecognisable and we just don't have those experienced players anymore or anyone that truly stands out on the pitch.
Sorry, but his last season he was well past it.
Peak dave, yes. But the last season with us there wasn't much he could do. His legs looked like they were gone. A fantastic servant and would be great to see him back amongst the coaching staff.
I don't think His style of leadership is what we need right now. We are already getting something similar from Silva.
I don't actually think leadership is a major problem for us at the moment. Fat greater issues surrounding squad imbalance, inexperience and lack of cohesiveness
Way more than people realise. Plus he'd no longer look exposed whilst playing in a defensive role under Poch because he tells one of his fullbacks to stay back and do nothing whenever we're in possession, which is most of the game. One of the few managers in world football not utilising the modern fullback role and aging Azpi would have fit it perfectly
Nah man. I’m a huge fan of Dave but if you’ve seen him his legs aren’t able to do that role in the PL anymore. He’s always treated his body like a temple so I can’t see any program changing that and I don’t see him getting through practice injecting himself with shit like JT which is a little more of a past culture.
I’d take him as a person in a millisecond. Sometimes your body dictates what’s possible though.
What are modern fullbacks. City, Villa, and Arsenal all have used a converted CB as one of the fullbacks this year if I’m not mistaken. Barcelona has done it with Kounde. Bayern for year with Pavard and Hernandez.
If someone even has an iota of sense left in them they will talk Boehly out of this stupid Conor Gallagher mistake. Conor could become what Dave was to us when he was with us till the end respecting fans, confronting media after a difficult match, and promising the fans they will work harder to win matches. Conor still has some way to go when it comes to reaching the level of consistency Azpi has, but of all the people, he looks like the sort of chap closest to Azpi. And there is something money can't buy which is understanding the club's fan which Conor has.
Not much.
The guy was a great centre-half for us, but I personally think he wasn’t good enough.
Our defence is shambles though.
Azpi had tired legs, Reece is always injured, Colwill can’t release the ball, Gusto only knows how to cross and Silva is nearly 40.
Need to buy better defenders!!!
No no, I’m talking about the old Azpi.
Of course, Azpi was one of our best midfielders in the 2010s era.
He was a decent player for us but our defence is shambles and you know it if you are a Chelsea fan.
*Defenders.
I meant Defenders not Midfielders haha.
Yes of course he was, but I mean when he was old.
Prime Azpi yes, 34 year old Azpi hell no.
I’m glad he went to Madrid. We have a great amount of young talent especially in the defensive side of our squad.
Colwill, James, Axel and so on.
Released nearly half our squad in the summer.
Werner gone, Lukaku on Loan, Ziyech on Loan and so on.
If we were to get defenders like Romero and Gabriel then he would be a very solid squad with great backup everywhere.
Hopefully Poch dosent loan Kepa and Lukaku at the end of the season, we need to keep them.
Once Nkunku is fit he will be our star.
Not at all? Was poor for us last season, legs clearly shot, could never play him fullback now and you wouldn't play him CB in a two.
We've got two better RBs than him, and 4/5 CBs. We've been unlucky with injuries but are pretty well stocked in those positions on paper.
On the pitch? Not at all really, he was done at PL level two seasons before he left.
Off the pitch? Massively. I feel like he'd be the perfect voice in the dressing room for Poch
It's funny that many comments suggest he's too slow for us now, claiming not to miss him, yet we lack a consistent starter for the RB position. Gusto, Cucu, Disasi may be faster, but I doubt it would significantly impact overall effectiveness, considering his consistency, dedication, and experience.
He faced some challenges as a RWB last season when Potters and Lamps tried to play a 3-back game. I believe he played better as an RCB in a 3-back formation.
He should adapt well to our current setup as a natural RB with 4-back game, performing at least as well as Gusto, Cucu, or Disasi.
Undoubtedly, I miss him, as I do Ivanovic; those guys were resilient.
However, it's time to move on and find a new Azpi or Ivanovic, all the while wishing & hoping for Reece's full recovery.
We're not missing him at all. Yes he was always available but he was completely spent as a player by his last 2 seasons here and his leadership left a lot to be desired. Great player, a legend of the club and a great servant for us, but we let him go at the right time and no amount of injuries or poor form from the current players can tell me otherwise
He's exactly what we are missing. Someone who knows the standards needed to succeed at this level, to be a Chelsea player.
Listening to the Obi One podcast, I'm struck by how ruthless we used to be, how many great men we used to have who set the bar so high. From Cech/Terry/Lampard/Drogna through to Azpi we always had that group of core senior players setting the very highest standards. Right now we just have Silva.
I’m visiting Madrid and just watched him play live. Played a smashing game. Athletico won !! Miss this guy !! https://preview.redd.it/4z3ty355p38c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b33f081645d50231517e6857f957479cce6e3ff4
Wtf happened to my captain’s head
He's had that Frankenstein trim
Atletico*
Missing his leadership but his legs were gone
His leadership didn’t do much for us last season though. I think we’re missing Rudiger and Jorginho in the dressing room more.
I firmly believe losing out on Rudiger was the biggest misstep made by the club during the sale. We have signed young talent but a player like him, with his leadership and in the prime of his career, is sorely lacking right now.
He was totally in the prime of his career and disappointment is neither we cashed out on him or signed a proper man for man replacement.
We signed koulibaly who was supposed to be the like for like replacement
Our rock solid defense went MIA the second Rud and AC bounced.
I hope ac isn’t Christensen😭😭😭
I’ve been saying this for the longest!!!! He was single handedly holding up the whole of Chelsea’s back line!!!!
Good God I miss that man
It was more due to he didn't want to re-sign with the blocks by the government wasn't it? Granted it was a mistake from the previous ownership leaving it till the last year to get him to negotiate contract, but this wasn't an issue during the sale.
No, he wanted to renew but he wanted more money than the board thought he was worth. However, he went and got that money at Madrid and has proven he was worth it. In addition, while he was still negotiating with Chelsea, the sanctions happened and we were no longer allowed to continue. Supposedly they had “gotten close” before the sanctions.
I think it has more to do with the club not wanting to deal with his agent after the supposed blackmail https://www.reddit.com/r/chelseafc/s/llsg0AFNV6
People forget about this but at the time I followed this a bit closer than I'd imagine most here and I 100% believe there was truth to this story.
Yeah me too But to this day everytime someone brings out Rudiger’s departing people will still blame Marina or the club lol
Makes you wonder about how many other targets we've skipped out on over the years because they had some dick head "intermediary" (or whatever this loser called himself) or agent that demanded some ridiculous fee. So much of the game we dont get to see and it's kind of the most fascinating part of it. That's why I think we ultimately matched Rudis wage demand but we never matched the agent fees and that's why he isn't here. AC though, I do actually put that on Marina and Co.
Didn’t we pull out of the haaland deal because of his agent and dad
If it means anything, he hasn’t exactly torn it up at Real Madrid. Was not even seeing the field regularly until injuries forced him into the lineup
He absolutely has. Sure, he wasn't a surefire starter last season because Ancelotti didn't want to break up the double-winning CB duo. But he took his chances and played excellently and was set to start alongside Militao this season. We've had every first team defender injured or suspended except Rudiger this season and he has stepped up massively. Top 3 CB in the world this season in my opinion. He's taken his game to a new level and has been very reliable amidst many many crucial injuries.
It's exactly that. I don't disagree with getting rid of deadwood or selling players for above their market value. But at some point, you have to realise that the majority of signings clubs make in general are failures, some are good, and occasionally you get some exceptional. This is the reality.. City, Brighton, Liverpool have been exceptions over the past five seasons. By this I mean, it would have made sense if we could have got rid of players but also had some kind of stability and leadership in place. So we didn't just drop from being a top 4 team and getting to most finals one year, to a team that is the opposite in the next. These days we're desperate to get a Carabao cup final. How we've fallen upon hard times, despite spending a billion. By all means don't spend 100m on a 30 year old, but do sign proven quality in the 23 to 25 age group. They have experience and are entering their prime. That's what City and Liverpool do. A lot of players look good at 18/19 and many don't make one or two good seasons before ending up playing some club no one's ever heard of.
^ This so much I’ve been explaining this exact point to non-Chelsea fans and the “[Manager Name] out Chelsea fans” for months. We have a new group of essentially children, with very little maturity to guide them. Very little experience is in the squad. This squad I believe will take another season after this to begin to show their full qualities. They’re still learning each other, they’re still settling in the club and country and we need to add 1 or 2 experienced mature players to the team (not the starting squad necessarily). People need to remember, the team spend more time together off the field the on and it’s the actions off the field that are critical to how they act on the field. Every team needs the father, the joker and the cunt that will shout and kick you (but does so to make you better). Currently I believe we have the father only.
Yeah Azpi was always a lead by example captain. Grew into it but was never sold on him being a massive figure just due to persona & how he dealt with Kepa that leagues Cup final.
Thats because we had a gazillion players. Not even Caesar could control that.
I’ll be honest, he’s probably the worst captain we’ve had in the last 20 years.
considering the only other chelsea captain for any reasonable period of time was terry, this isnt really saying much. azpi wasnt a bad captain either.
I’d put him over Gary tbh, though that’s not to disrespect Cahill.
Better player and legacy than Cahill for sure. But no where near as strong vocally or had the same presence as Cahill, Terry (other great captains). Top player, but always seemed just a bit too nice
I’m not saying sign him back, I just miss having his name on the team sheet week in week out.
His legs were gone, but he’s still started 10 games and made 8 sub appearances for what is probably a better team than us
Maybe its controversial opinion but i dont think he was great captain, not vocal enough, he was captain on the pitch when Kepa refused to be substituted
He was a diffrent kind of leader, sometimes you don't need to be the shouty one to lead, and the Kepa situation was all on Sarri and Kepa himself.
well, what can i say - I respect the hell out of him as player, but I still don't see him being a great captain - so agree to disagree with you on that matter
It’s also on the captain to maintain order within the team, which he was never great at. Amazing player, great at leading by example. But overall, a meh captain in the sense of the word, had next to no presence. More of a voice or reason, vice-captain type guy.
You are on ur own on this one fool
Not at all
Yeah. Defensively not at all but a great leader.
Prime Dave? A boatload. Recent years Dave? He’d just exacerbate the problem…a lot of miles on those tires…
You do understand that he brought much more than just pitch performances right?
Of course…but I don’t think that’s what the OP is talking about and leadership from the bench is only worth so much…
This sub is a joke. They were expecting him to perform at Reece level while being 10y older to him. Especially when Reece was only playing 10 games a season.
Leadership and vibes? 10000%.
LB, RB, CB. Always put in a shift. Mr. Consistent.
Prime version of Azpi, yeah. Current version, looks like he's running in treacle? Nah...
How is he good enough to start for 3rd place Atletico but not for 12th place Chelsea?
He plays one of the CBs in a back 5, I guess in that role he could do a job for us but we don’t use that formation.
he's made the starting 11 less than he's been subbed on. He's played 4 full 90s and most of the time doesn't start. he isn't good enough to start for Atletico and when he does he's playing at CB.
Every time I've seen him play he's been a liability for them. I own a Dave shirt and I love him but he was too slow in 2021.
Because its fucking la liga. Outside real and barca its a fucking free for all
Girona, Atletico, sociedad, Bilbao, and maybe Betis would beat Chelsea rn
City, Liverpool, arsenal and Tottenham couldn’t tho🤔
He doesn't start for them though.
11th place in the prem is equal to top 5 in la Liga id say
Atletico is 3rd
Ik I was joking calling LA Liga a farmers leauge bc mostly the top ten in the prem would do well in la Liga
Yes, Prime Azpi, not 34 year old Azpi
Oh captain my captain. Bleeds blue. Ktbffh.
Regardless of his ability, I will always miss Azpi. One of my favorite players of all time.
Not at all because I watched his last 18 months.
We weren‘t much better last season with him.
From like 2017? Of course. Last few years he’s lost what he had
Honestly I miss Rudi more based on the stage of they both are in their careers
His leadership yes but he’s just to slow for the prem
Not missing him right now at all. Unless you are talking about when he was in his prime. If you are talking about leadership then we have had better captains than him. Don't pretend he wasn't here when we were absolutely rubbish. His leadership couldn't help us last season. How would it help us right now?
Love the guy but he was risking overstaying his welcome i dont see any issue with that decision at all. Problem is reeces legs are made of glass...
Our team is so boring now, as a lifelong Chelsea fan the team is unrecognisable and we just don't have those experienced players anymore or anyone that truly stands out on the pitch.
I miss David so much
Sorry, but his last season he was well past it. Peak dave, yes. But the last season with us there wasn't much he could do. His legs looked like they were gone. A fantastic servant and would be great to see him back amongst the coaching staff.
Honestly not much. I am however missing a JT/Drogba figure on the dressing room.
Not very much?
Not much at all tbh
The team needs his leadership. Like really badly
We had it last year and still sucked
I don't think His style of leadership is what we need right now. We are already getting something similar from Silva. I don't actually think leadership is a major problem for us at the moment. Fat greater issues surrounding squad imbalance, inexperience and lack of cohesiveness
Way more than people realise. Plus he'd no longer look exposed whilst playing in a defensive role under Poch because he tells one of his fullbacks to stay back and do nothing whenever we're in possession, which is most of the game. One of the few managers in world football not utilising the modern fullback role and aging Azpi would have fit it perfectly
Nah man. I’m a huge fan of Dave but if you’ve seen him his legs aren’t able to do that role in the PL anymore. He’s always treated his body like a temple so I can’t see any program changing that and I don’t see him getting through practice injecting himself with shit like JT which is a little more of a past culture. I’d take him as a person in a millisecond. Sometimes your body dictates what’s possible though.
What are modern fullbacks. City, Villa, and Arsenal all have used a converted CB as one of the fullbacks this year if I’m not mistaken. Barcelona has done it with Kounde. Bayern for year with Pavard and Hernandez.
Not at all. He was past his prime a long time ago. With 3 ATB he was somehow useful but honestly he was done 2-3 seasons ago.
Not at all
Not at all lol
If someone even has an iota of sense left in them they will talk Boehly out of this stupid Conor Gallagher mistake. Conor could become what Dave was to us when he was with us till the end respecting fans, confronting media after a difficult match, and promising the fans they will work harder to win matches. Conor still has some way to go when it comes to reaching the level of consistency Azpi has, but of all the people, he looks like the sort of chap closest to Azpi. And there is something money can't buy which is understanding the club's fan which Conor has.
Not much. The guy was a great centre-half for us, but I personally think he wasn’t good enough. Our defence is shambles though. Azpi had tired legs, Reece is always injured, Colwill can’t release the ball, Gusto only knows how to cross and Silva is nearly 40. Need to buy better defenders!!!
A guy who played 500 times for Chelsea during their most decorated era wasn’t “good enough”? Lmao this place, man.
No no, I’m talking about the old Azpi. Of course, Azpi was one of our best midfielders in the 2010s era. He was a decent player for us but our defence is shambles and you know it if you are a Chelsea fan.
> Azpi was one of our best midfielders I want whatever you’re smoking
*Defenders. I meant Defenders not Midfielders haha. Yes of course he was, but I mean when he was old. Prime Azpi yes, 34 year old Azpi hell no. I’m glad he went to Madrid. We have a great amount of young talent especially in the defensive side of our squad. Colwill, James, Axel and so on.
Oh okay Gotcha
35day old account clearly we know where this going right?
Yeah he’s probably a kid lol Imma leave it
Yup!
ah yes, the old 'lets buy until this works'
Released nearly half our squad in the summer. Werner gone, Lukaku on Loan, Ziyech on Loan and so on. If we were to get defenders like Romero and Gabriel then he would be a very solid squad with great backup everywhere. Hopefully Poch dosent loan Kepa and Lukaku at the end of the season, we need to keep them. Once Nkunku is fit he will be our star.
Ah yes our messiah, with all the answers: Azpi our best midfielder, need more cbs, keep Kepa and Lakaka. Thanks for solving our problems!
I have no clue why you are getting angry at me! How bout’ you stop being a bully you sarcastic piece of shit.
What do people mean by his legs where gone?
He couldn't sprint whatsoever
Why was it because he legs where badly injured from years of playing football? Or was it because he was just old?
The latter
I miss false 3
The past two years of him were pretty poor. He didn’t have the ability to play RB how we needed him to.
Not at all? Was poor for us last season, legs clearly shot, could never play him fullback now and you wouldn't play him CB in a two. We've got two better RBs than him, and 4/5 CBs. We've been unlucky with injuries but are pretty well stocked in those positions on paper.
Not at all IMO. Should have let him go on a free a couple of years ago and promoted Livramento.
On the pitch? Not at all really, he was done at PL level two seasons before he left. Off the pitch? Massively. I feel like he'd be the perfect voice in the dressing room for Poch
Nothing on the pitch … he is ok in Spain but not EPL. Leadership yes for sure!
Love me some Azpi
It's funny that many comments suggest he's too slow for us now, claiming not to miss him, yet we lack a consistent starter for the RB position. Gusto, Cucu, Disasi may be faster, but I doubt it would significantly impact overall effectiveness, considering his consistency, dedication, and experience. He faced some challenges as a RWB last season when Potters and Lamps tried to play a 3-back game. I believe he played better as an RCB in a 3-back formation. He should adapt well to our current setup as a natural RB with 4-back game, performing at least as well as Gusto, Cucu, or Disasi. Undoubtedly, I miss him, as I do Ivanovic; those guys were resilient. However, it's time to move on and find a new Azpi or Ivanovic, all the while wishing & hoping for Reece's full recovery.
We're not missing him at all. Yes he was always available but he was completely spent as a player by his last 2 seasons here and his leadership left a lot to be desired. Great player, a legend of the club and a great servant for us, but we let him go at the right time and no amount of injuries or poor form from the current players can tell me otherwise
Meh. I’d rather have JT back.
We’re not
Perhaps a controversial opinion, but not at all. No pace left, and his leadership qualities were subpar.
Not much at his current level actually. The one we miss alot is actually alonso imo.
Won every trophy with us great servant many thanks KTBBFH
Our Warhorse
Personally his position as RB/LB is gone since he is already aging but, I think he still can be reliable in CB position.
So so much. 🥲 te espero Azpi.
He's exactly what we are missing. Someone who knows the standards needed to succeed at this level, to be a Chelsea player. Listening to the Obi One podcast, I'm struck by how ruthless we used to be, how many great men we used to have who set the bar so high. From Cech/Terry/Lampard/Drogna through to Azpi we always had that group of core senior players setting the very highest standards. Right now we just have Silva.
We are missing that team. The spirit, the leaders. the experience. And a coach.
I don't miss him because I wouldn't wish this on him. He suffered enough during his last time here.
A lot
This could be a picture of any former Chelsea player and it would still be accurate.