On the August 24 in 2012, Chelsea completed the signing of Marseille right-back Cesar Azpilicueta for £7million.

Not well known at the time, the young Spaniard may have been signed to play as a back-up to Branislav Ivanovic, and to start with this was the case. Under Roberto Di Matteo he rarely made the team, only being played in the Capital One Cup.

When Di Matteo was sacked, Azpilicueta’s fellow countryman, Rafael Benitez was installed as interim first team manager. This was the moment that Azpilicueta got his opportunity to make the right-back spot his, and that is what he did. It’s hard to think of a bad game Azpilicueta had during that spell, keeping the likes of Gareth Bale quiet against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

His string of excellent performances led to a call-up to his national side, and played the entire 90 minutes on his debut against Uruguay in a 3-1 victory.

At the start of this season, Azpilicueta once again found himself struggling to get into the starting eleven under new boss Jose Mourinho. He returned late to pre-season training after the Confederations Cup and Mourinho preferred to use Ivanovic at right-back.

After an injury to Ashley Cole, the Chelsea manager chose Azpilicueta over Ryan Bertrand to play in the back four. In his unnatural position, Azpilicueta has as to this moment, has never had a bad game, to my knowledge. Now Mourinho considers him as the first choice on the left side of defence, leaving Ashley Cole to sit on the bench. Who would have thought that would happen at the start of the season?

Cesar Azpilicueta is certainly a mouthful, to which extent the fans have given him the knickname “Dave”. He is certainly a fan favourite and the blues supporters constantly chant during games, “Azpilicueta, we'll just call you Dave”.

It would be very surprising to me if Azpilicueta wasn’t selected in the Spain squad for the World Cup. A versatile defender who is full of running, Del Bosque would be silly to pick Alvaro Arbeloa over him.

Pablo Zabaleta may be considered by many as the best right-back in the Premier League, but in my opinion, Azpilicueta is better defensively. If he can improve his play going forward, Azpilicueta will be considered as one of the best full-backs in the world, not just by Chelsea fans.

The problem he has now is he is the best right and left-back at the club, but Ivanovic is performing better than Cole so Azpilicueta will be on the left for the foreseeable future. If Luke Shaw is signed in the summer, you would expect him to move to his preferred position, but nobody knows with Mourinho.

http://www.givemesport.com/427412-cesar-azpilicueta-chelseas-unsung-hero

I was thinking about this today, Azpilicueta going to the world cup. The thing is, his natural position is right-back. For left back, I can't see him being picked over Jordi Alba who is naturally left-footed and plays his position very well. Azpilicueta should make the squad if his performances stay up to par, but del Bosque has to choose between him and Martin Montoya, perhaps even Juanfran. I think Arbeloa will make the squad because he plays regularly and has been a staple in the national side for a bit of time now, but I don't fancy him either. He's been compared to a traffic cone at times.

I don't know much about the best Spanish fullbacks other than Azpi. In your opinion, who should start as RB and who should start as LB for Spain?

EDIT: Also, I'd like to say, even though Azpi is naturally a rightback, he has been insanely consistent and good as leftback too. I'd go as far to say better than his performances as rightback last season. He's really been a revelation to our defense.

It's hard to say. Martin Montoya has impressed me a lot but doesn't get much playtime because he's competing against Dani Alves in that aspect. Montoya's good. I've never fancied Arbeloa, honestly, but he can get the job done. Best Spanish LB at the moment has to go to Jordi I think. He gets the most playtime and Barça wins most of their matches. Nacho Monreal is another possibility. I'll have to take Azpilicueta into consideration as a LB I suppose. Carvajal from Real Madrid is another RB option. Juanfran has been a great RB this season for Atletico Madrid.

Del Bosque has some thinking to do. I would start Montoya or Juanfran over Arbeloa, and Jordi over Azpilicueta because of experience, but come this summer, my choices may change.

I folowed him from his debut to Marseille, good potential but a long injury made his progression in OM at stand by. I was really suprised that Chelsea signed him. He has on a world cup with Spanish youth and he looks pretty good.
But, in Spain competition are in all posts they could have 6 national teams if they want.
Carvajal or Arbeloa are way better at LB, and Alba or Monreal at RB, but he will be picked as 5th one imo. Its impressive to see the number of Spanich good players in all categories all posts and all ages.

Simple, play him over pique.

I think he'll replace Alba, in the near future.

@LODATZ Do you know Juan fran or Moreno ?
What need a Spanish player to do if he wants recognition from English fans ? To play in EPL.

@tiki: Of course I know them. What point are you attempting to make?

Oh look, you're trying again to incite an argument about leagues. For heaven's sake, can't you just stop?

Alba's deficiencies were exposed well enough by Bayern, Milan and Brazil. It was there for all the world to see. I believe that Azpilicueta has the right tools and skills a player to achieve more against other top teams that Jordi Alba, who is rather one-dimensional, and that, especially if Spain have a poor World Cup, he'll be trusted to move the team forward into a new, post-tiki-taka era.

Maybe then people will stop assuming that Alba's better just because he plays for Barcelona, and stop holding the fact that he plays in the PL against him, hmmm?

3 games to judge a player ? Stop stupid argumentation Del bosque knows what he is doing. He always take right players no matter what. The Spanish teams that won those titles always changed players, they never had same formation.
Azpi is good, but stop guys to be overrating everytime he came from Marseille and im a die hard OM fan....
I know exactly what he worth.
For Alba, he is recovering from injury, and i prefer Adriano to him, but he stays better than Azpi at the moment.
Tottenham defense has been trashed every week does it mean that all their defense players are sh*t ?

"3 games to judge a player?"

Yes. Three games in which he played opposition vastly superior what he plays against in his home league, and in which he was observed to be utterly ineffective. Problem?

By contrast, you want to insist that Alba is better simply because... he plays for Barcelona?

@ikoiko , Ever heard of Daniel Carvajal? Thats the best RB Spain has got.

Vastly Superior : Thats silly, its not championship, thats the main problem Lodatz. You judge on one or two games and makes it as a fact, never upgrade it to the reality.
Then try to apply this 3 games oposition agaisnt vastly superior teams for Spurs and look whats the result... I told you, this argument is stupid.

Alba was amazing in the Euro 2012, that was the reason why we bought him and was pretty good in most of games he played ( Against Italy scoring in the final, against Milan saving us 2 times and scoring the last goal by a 80m sprint...).

The reason Del Bosque was playing him as a starter when he was just a bench warmer in Valencia can tell you something. You dont play for Spain actually if you are not good. His problem i think is that he is not used to what Barça/Real ask for every player they have : Win every single game.
In Spain saying that there is no oposition for top 3 is not fair, you need to win games as anywhere else. Trust me, its harder to have Real Madrid for rivals than Top EPL teams. Just look at the dream team RM has, the 2 best players who played in Tottenham past decade are just a small peace of Real Madrid puzzle, they have enough quality in their squad to sell Ozil and Higuian, and bench Di Maria, Coentrao, Casillas, Khedira, Isco, Varane who can all be starters everywhere else...

Many other teams are unplayable at home, Bilbao, Sociedad, Villareal, Sevilla, Valencia are all dificult to beat, i cant see an English team comming to Spain and win every week that easy, they are not used to. Dont forget United and Chelsea defeat against Atletico and Bilbao in important games and they were in mid table at that time...
But yes EPL are a little more dificult acutally by 4 or 6 games.

Alba is potentially better than Azpi, but his out of forms are making me silent about who is likely to choose.
Im one those who thinks the most on form players should start, so if Azpi keeps his actual good level, he may start.
What i dont like about Alba in Barça is that he is not Athletic enough, and it makes us very weak in corners and non direct free kicks, but in Spain with Ramos, piqué, Alonso and Javi Martinez as tall strong players, he is more useful than Azpi who is more strong but less fast and technic.

You're denying that Bayern Munich, Brazil, and even AC Milan are not huge improvements on most of the tams he faces? You go right ahead, mate. Go right ahead. As usual, the only one paying attention to reality is me.

Im not deniying it, those losses were teams losses not only his...
I dont judge players from 3 losses neither teams, because if it was the case. I would rate Tottenham worst that Getafe.

For me, you are the EPL knibis, you support a team who is actually between 5th-8th and you need to give a lot of power to your league to justify your team position.
I cant hear both of your argumentations, 2 supremacists of both leagues. I think im more in the midle because i dont have to make my league better to give importance to my team.
The problem when you disrespect other Liga teams and players, you disrespect my team amazing performences and make it just normal as if Spurs could do the same if they were in La liga.
Dont do to others what you dont want to be done to you.
END of the discussion for me.

Considering you claim, in every discussion, that La Liga is best at everything, your last post was just garbage. Get off your high horse and stop being a hypocrite. This is like the 6th thread in the last week in which you have tried to pick a fight about the leagues. That makes YOU like knibis, not me, though to be fair to him he's not done it in a while now.

@Iraqi_Madridista, I listed him actually. He's a very skilled RB and is definitely one of Spain's best. I can't say if I prefer him or Montoya because neither get enough playing time, but I agree he's definitely a candidate for Spain's RB position.

Also, while the three losses that Alba suffered against Bayern, Milan and Brazil were team failures, none of that changes the fact that Jordi Alba, the player, the individual, was CRAP on all of those occasions. Against Bayern he was basically a joke. Same thing against Brazil.

In fact, he was pretty useless in the entire Confederations Cup, although he did score that nice little goal against... who was it again? Trinidad? Barbados?

I forget, because, well, it was forgettable.

Jordi Alba is a good player. He is very, very Barcelona, and very Spanish, in this current age of technical Spanish football. He is, however, also one-dimensional, and can't defend worth a damn. Maybe in his domestic league that's good enough. Against the cream of Europe, and on the international stage, it's not good enough.

Azpilicueta is the better defender, and after this World Cup, I expect Spain to become very concerned with having good defenders, again.

See if you can manage to respond without talking about me, my team, or Santa Claus.

Im not pretending that best Gks, best defenders, best tactics, best everything are just in one league.
You are not directly saying it, but you chose carefully your words, when you say vastly its like you think we are playing in championship.
La liga is not better than EPL but this supremacy you claims doesnt exist, la liga is not la ligue 1, you cant put the achievements made there secondary just because its not in England.
I dont claim what Knibis claims, i find the 4th-7th positions in PL more powerful than la Liga unlike him.
But YOU, you are the extreme opposite of Knibis, for you its not the players who are incredible, its the league who is week.
Everytime, when a team gets hammered by Barça/Real, you only see poor defending there.
My point is between yours and knibis, and seeing how some English defenses are being trashed every week you should just admit that its the strikers and team work merit, not because of poor defending.
When i see how PL fans think that good of their league, and that bad of la liga. Giving credit to every PL achievement, in winning, scoring, dribling... And taking credit from la Liga achievements, when you are following the Spanish League, and enjoying this style of playing and the quality they have, how would you react ???
Why do players need to play in England to change from unknown to beast ? I may have been silly sometimes, but i reacted as i felt the lack of objectivity and sometimes i felt that everything happening in the Spanish league dont matter. Even if players score 15 goals in CL it doesnt matter, its not in PL.
Then since this quality teams and players will never play in EPL and against your team, when will you give them the credit they deserve ?
Well, i agree i've said it many times and im also tired of asking for an objetive vision, but unless Messi scores a hattrick against Spurs or Chelsea that will never change. And in a good form, he was able to put 4 and 5 goals to Arsenal and Leverkusen. Im tired of the league excuse and even with this years PL results and goals you seem not giving up with this league excuse.
I will just ignore the next stupidities i will read, because it never turns to objective conversations and it ends in a battle to win a discussion, which going nowhere...

And if you try to look, you are the only one who comes and start arguing, or making biaised interventions.
Taking a player of la Ligas who is in a bad form and recovering from an injury, ignoring the fact that he was the 2nd best player of the Euro 2012 after Iniesta, and gave some outstanding performences. And comparing Azpi who has actually a good form, and after a dificult period in Marseille is doing a great job due to the solid tactic performence of his team and coach, and at the end making a conclusion.
We should let Del Bosque do his job, he knows where the true quality is. If Azpi go on his work, he will get what he deserves.
I know you dont like Pedro (overrated in your clever opinion), Busquets is a cheater and will not be good elsewhere, Alba is a diver, Messi cant score in EPL what he is scoring in Spain, in CL, in Argentina.... I know your point exactly about all these.
Now, dont forget who is playing in Barça/Real elite, im sure you remember and respect Modric, Bale, Ronaldo, Alonso, Mascherano and Fabregas for an obvious reason, others like Iniesta and Spanish players forced people to respect them by winning everything in the international competitions.
And Atletico Madrid has a top Europeen level, and i hope it will be shown in CL.
you know mine. So let this just END.

Why do you call on me to let this end, when you are the one who keeps starting it? Stop being a hypocrite.

"You are not directly saying it, but you chose carefully your words, when you say vastly its like you think we are playing in championship."

No, that\'s not true. You are wrong. Accept this.

"you cant put the achievements made there secondary just because its not in England."

So, it's a good job then that I don't do that. Stop making things up.

"Everytime, when a team gets hammered by Barça/Real, you only see poor defending there."

No, I see poor defending where there is poor defending. When teams like Norwich (or Spurs) get whooped by City 6-0, I don't turn around and say that City were 'lucky', or anything, I point out that the defending was rubbish. The exact same as when I see crap defending in La Liga games. This big difference is: that still happens less often in the PL, and even when the defenses are crap, they're generally not AS crap as the terrible defending in those Spanish matches.

"And taking credit from la Liga achievements,"

I don't do that either, so you can shut the fukk up. Stop making things up.

"Then since this quality teams and players will never play in EPL and against your team, when will you give them the credit they deserve ?"

I already do give them the credit they deserve. The problem is, you often think that they deserve more credit than I do, and even that is not really a problem. The REAL problem is that you constantly try to shove them in everyone's face, always, ALWAYS claim that they show that La Liga is better than the PL, and I regularly demonstrate that you are wrong.

You bring this sh*t upon yourself; stop blaming me for you being wrong.

"I will just ignore the next stupidities i will read, because it never turns to objective conversations and it ends in a battle to win a discussion, which going nowhere..."

Only because YOU make it that way. I stick to the topic. You're the one who is constantly wittering about other crap, to try and get me annoyed. Rather than 'ignoring' it when I argue against your point, you could try just not talking any more.

"Taking a player of la Ligas who is in a bad form and recovering from an injury, ignoring the fact that he was the 2nd best player of the Euro 2012 after Iniesta"

What. The. Fukk. Seriously? You're going to bald-faced claim that Alba was the second-best player of the tournament?

Hell, I don't even have to bother explaining why that is stupid. Alba has been exposed by a higher standard of competition. If you don't like it? Tough. If you don't agree? Fine, but for heaven's sake stop acting as though it is 'bias' just to point out what the entire world saw.

YOU are making the problem here. How about you just shut the fukk up and stop making arguments?

You got the last word just END it here.