Not Jorginho – Cesar Azpilicueta lavishes praise on Chelsea teammate ahead of Spain vs Italy

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Cesar Azpilicueta praises Chelsea teammate Emerson Palmieri ahead of Spain vs Italy

According to The Guardian, Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta had words of praise for his club teammate, Emerson Palmieri, ahead of Spain vs Italy. The Italian is likely to get a start against Spain after Leonardo Spinazzola ruptured his Achilles tendon in the last game.

Emerson struggled massively to get any sort of game time this past season. He played a staggeringly low number of minutes, with most of them coming in cup competitions. Ben Chilwell has pretty much been Chelsea’s first-choice left-back/wingback.

Chelsea v Atletico Madrid – UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 – Second Leg – Stamford Bridge Chelsea s Emerson Palmieri centre celebrates scoring their side s second goal of the game during the Champions League round of 16 second leg match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture date: Wednesday March 17, 2021.

Even Marcos Alonso was given chances to impress in the role. Emerson has only been used in a handful of games through the season. His long spells on the bench meant that he barely scraped through to the Italian side for the Euros.

Azpilicueta heaped praise on Emerson

Now, however, he will have to play a starring role in one of the premier clashes of the tournament. Emerson will be required to take the place of Leonardo Spinazzola after his injury against Belgium. As Emerson gears up for the big game, his club captain and likely opposite number for Spain, Cesar Azpilicueta had some encouraging words for him.

PXL_Croatia v Spain – UEFA EURO, EM, Europameisterschaft,Fussball 2020: Round of 16 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – JUNE 28: Cesar Azpilicueta of Spain celebrating the goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Round of 16 match between Croatia and Spain at Parken Stadium on June 28, 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark. GoranxStanzl/PIXSELL

On being asked about Emerson starting for Italy in such an important game despite just two starts for Chelsea over the last season, here’s what Azpilicueta said (h/t The Guardian).

“He’s a clear example of the strength of the group at Chelsea, the togetherness. Despite playing very little he has always contributed, he keeps a positive attitude and trains hard, awaiting his chance. He scored an important goal against Atlético Madrid. The group makes the difference; that carried us to the Champions League.”

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Emerson will be up against Azpilicueta as both full-backs are likely to start. Emerson will have a lot riding on him after what Spinazzola provided italy in the last few games. Chelsea fans will be hoping that both the defenders have a good game.