Moving back to a back four, Maurizio Sarri has, in the process, returned Cesar Azpilicueta to the role he made a name for himself in: right-back.
Originally bought from Marseille following some impressive performances in that position, the Spaniard was then moved to the left by José Mourinho before becoming a centre-back in a back three under Antonio Conte.
The problem with this is that both Victor Moses and Davide Zappacosta are finding it hard to get some game time, with only the former of the two setting foot on a Premier League pitch so far this season, and that was for nine minutes as a right-winger against Huddersfield.
The Italian used some of his free time to give an interview to Corriere dello Sport, published on Tuesday, where he discussed many things, including the transition from Conte to Sarri, whom the right-back describes as ‘very nice’ and ‘funny’.
Opening up about who he gets along with the most at Chelsea (Alvaro Morata) and who the best and nicest players are (both awards go to Eden Hazard), the defender also admitted to having contact with Inter this summer.
He said: “Yeah, they approached me. My agent, Alessandro Lucci, spoke to me about it, even if I always remained focused on Chelsea.”
As for whether he could leave in January, he explained: “I have a three year contract here and I want to do well with Chelsea. There’s a lot of competition, but I want to fight and get the starting role.
“However, it’s clear that if I can’t get in the team… I don’t think any player likes to sit games out.”
Yet to play a minute under Sarri, it isn’t the best start for Zappacosta in that regard, but the season is long, and there’s a Europa League campaign to look forward to where rotation will be needed.
