‘You just can’t ignore him this time’ — Pat Nevin hails Chelsea player for what he did for Tuchel Chelsea
According to reports, Chelsea legend Pat Nevin has reserved massive praise for Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta following his act in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
However, with Chelsea having won a late penalty, Cesar took the ball and pretended to be the taker before handing the ball to the eventual kicker Kai Havertz.
Azpilicueta’s action took off the pressure from the Germany international who scored the winning goal, and Nevin was just too pleased.
Nevin said: “You just can’t ignore the Cesar Azpilicueta narrative this time. Having now bagged every title you could want in the club game, he has lost nothing of his ability or his enthusiasm, whether it is a run-of-the-mill league game or a prestigious final.”
“He is also not averse to using every single ounce of his experience to help himself, the team and any individual in blue around him. Maybe you have heard of a player taking the ball at a vital moment in the build-up to a penalty to relieve the pressure exerted on his team-mate, but I haven’t.
“It was a moment of supreme intelligence, psychological knowledge and selfless awareness. Every Palmeiras player and all of us watching fell for it hook, line and sinker. Only Kai Havertz seemed in on it, and he quietly allowed Azpi to take the sledging before calmly taking the ball himself at the last second.”