Having been named in the starting lineup and thus set to take the pitch in just a few minutes, César Azpilicueta has become the latest member of the Chelsea 300-club. It’s his 300th appearance in all competitions since joining from Olympique Marseille in the summer of 2012!
Congrats, Dave!
Today is @CesarAzpi's 300th game for the Blues! pic.twitter.com/w9dfYB5LKd
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 8, 2018
Azpilicueta becomes the 36th player in the 300-club, joining his fellow 2012-signee Eden Hazard who was admitted on the occasion of the FA Cup final last season. With Azpilicueta having just signed a four-year contract extension, he has a good chance of reaching the even more exclusive 400-club, which counts only a dozen players at the moment (Harris, Bonetti, Terry, Lampard, Hollins, Čech, Wise, Clarke, Dixon, McCreadie, Bumstead, Armstrong).
But that’s well into the future. In more immediate concerns, the Vice-captain is looking for a strong reaction from the Blues after Wednesday’s disappointing 2-1 loss to Wolves.
“The only response that we can give is on the pitch in this game today. We know we are facing a team that at the moment is unbeaten but it does not matter who is in front of us, the fans deserve a reaction from the first minute at the Bridge.
“We have to do a big game as a team, playing all together. We know that after a defeat it is not easy but there is no choice, we have to analyse what we did wrong and what we are doing well to try to win today. We need a big, big performance from everyone. Hopefully we can bring back the happiness to the club and the fans.”
-César Azpilicueta; source: Chelsea FC
So say we all.