Cesar Azpilicueta asks teammates to look at themselves following FA Cup loss
According to the club’s official website (h/t Daily Star), Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has asked his teammates to look at themselves following the FA Cup final loss to Arsenal.
It was a forgettable night for the Spaniard. He was taken off with an injury before halftime after giving away the penalty that drew Arsenal level.
He could only watch on helplessly from the stands as the Gunners scored again to go up 2-1 in the second half. It was in stark contrast to the start where Christian Pulisic sent the Blues up within the first five minutes.
The game will be remembered for a number of controversial calls made by referee Anthony Taylor. Azpilicueta has taken the higher road by retaining the focus on what he and his teammates could have done rather than lay the blame on Taylor’s shoulders.
“A lot of times there were 50/50s [that went in Arsenal’s favour] and we had the same in 2017 but we have to look further than this.”
The Blues looked haphazard and failed to showcase their usual intensity and hunger. The performance was in stark contrast to the dominating win over Manchester United in the semi-finals.
“We have to look at ourselves. We know two weeks ago when we played against Man United, we really controlled it.”
Azpilicueta is likely to be ruled out of Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. He admitted it was a devastating blow to limp off the field, especially in a major final.
“It’s my first time that it’s happened and it hurts a lot when that happens in a final like today.”
The Blues skipper wasn’t the only player to suffer an injury on the night. Christian Pulisic and Pedro both suffered injuries that could rule them out for the rest of the campaign.
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Rather than wallow in self-pity, Azpilicueta has urged his team to come out of this bitter experience with their lessons well learned.
Chelsea have a young squad who can go on to have a successful spell at the Bridge. They have a number of challenges facing them in the coming years, for which they will have to be ready.