‘He’s right to do that, you have to respect him’ – Former Watford star backs Chelsea player decision after 4-2 defeat to Arsenal
The Blues suffered heavy 4-2 defeat by Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, It was a lacklustre Chelsea performance, and the Chelsea defence was in shambles.
However, Chelsea fans were displeased with the team’s display on the night, and after the game, Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta was seen having a heated exchange with a group of Chelsea supporters.
Reaching to the incident, former Watford captain Troy Deeney has said that Azpilicueta was right to have engaged the fans, as long as he remained professional.
The current Birmingham striker Deeney, wrote for The Sun: “The Chelsea fans were probably just fed up with that one game and how they expected their side to beat a young and less-expensive Arsenal team.”
“But I can understand why Azpilicueta was having a go back at them.
“Players think, ‘Hold on, when we were winning a few weeks ago, things weren’t that bad and you weren’t calling us names and now, because we are on a bad run, you are turning on us?’.
“That is probably why Azpilicueta responded the way he did. It was more frustration that Chelsea haven’t had an awful season and now their integrity is being questioned.”
Former Watford captain Deeney claims he understands what Azpilicueta had gone through, having also had his own recent run in with fans following Birmingham’s 6-1 defeat away to Blackpool on Monday.
“It is a tough situation but certain characters — like Azpilicueta and myself — we handle it a bit differently to most, let’s put it that way,” the Birmingham captain added.
“You have to be respectful and professional. Predominantly, it is just about listening. If you talk through their frustrations and get them to calm down, you end up having a decent conversation.
“All fans want to do is let off some steam. But when you are going through bad times you are expected to answer every question and tell them how it will all be fixed within a week.
“But, while I may share certain frustrations, I definitely can’t take away all of their problems with the click of my fingers. There are some things you just cannot answer for.
“Fans may ask, ‘Why isn’t a certain player playing? Why are we playing a certain formation?’
“All that stuff is well above my pay-grade. All you can do is listen and say, ‘I hear your points. I will pass them on’.”