In this first part of an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Azpilicueta reflected on over a decade of competing for silverware under some of the best managers in the game.
Cesar, thank you for accepting our invitation. 11 years, 11 seasons and over 500 games for Chelsea. Is there anything like an invisible habit that you had to keep on top for 11 seasons with Chelsea?
"I'm very disciplined. I am someone who tries to get the routines to keep fit and available. That's something that I spent a lot of time on because my goal was always to think about the next game and the next game. I am really grateful because I have the confidence from many managers over my 11 seasons there, and I enjoyed some great moments."
What do you mean by discipline? How does your day look? Is it about training or diet? What's your ritual?
"Everything. Also, keeping the balance between games when you win, when you lose. Also, mentally, I am someone who is very critical, and I always try to find perfection. And when I had a good game but I could have done better. And, you know, I spend time watching videos recovering, physio, stretching, everything that I could do to be 100%. Because England especially is very demanding, and yeah, I did everything I could to be ready."
We can't speak with you and not talk about Jose Mourinho. He converted you from the right back to a left back, and that's what he said; it was, you were the best left back in the league during the 2014/15 Premier League winning season. What was the special in the Special One?
"He controlled everything. I think his experience, the way he saw football, the way he competes, you could feel he was one step ahead. That's the reality. Personally, I learned a lot from him. At the beginning, it was not easy. I came a bit later because I was in the Confederations Cup with Spain, so the team was maybe settled, and I tried to learn, and I was not part of the team, but I always felt his confidence.
"He always believed in me. He encouraged me to keep working and just wait for my opportunity. Branislav Ivanovic was our right-back. What can I say? He was so strong, so good. Ashley Cole was the left back, who is a legend for England and Chelsea. It wasn't easy, but I had the chance to learn from them and from Jose, and then step by step I, I got my place as a left back.
"Then Filipe Luis joined Chelsea, which was a... maybe the best left back at the moment. Um, that gave me competition, that gave me a way of helping the team and bring something different and I had to step up and, yeah, I played a lot and I really enjoyed it. I played alongside John Terry on the left side, which was for me like a masterpiece of learning how to defend.
"I mean, so, so grateful for having this chance to learn from him."
I also found one sentence from when Jose Mourinho said, 'If we had 11 Azpilicuetas, we will win Champions League.' What, what does it mean now for you to listen to that sentence?
"When I heard it from him, you know it's... I didn't withdraw; it's made me a little bit chaotic. But of course it's, it's great to hear this from your manager, someone like Jose, who is one of the best managers in the world. So yeah, grateful and that gave me the challenge to say, well, I have to be the standard."
You had many great coaches, one of those being Antonio Conte. How would you describe Antonio Conte and his changes in the squad, in what he did when he was in the Chelsea job?
"He was very demanding and he took the risk of changing the system the way he did when he first joined. He wanted to play 4-2-4, then we changed to 4-3-3, and the results were not there. And then when we started the next week, he planned everything to play 3-4-3. And from there, I think we went 13 games in a row winning, and the first six without conceding a goal.
"That gave us a boost and the confidence, and we ended up winning 30 games in the Premier League from 38, which was the record at that time. And yeah, I played in my new position, right centre back, and I really enjoyed it, it's good."
Then came Thomas Tuchel, who arrived in mid-season, and then just a few months later, you lifted the Champions League. What was the biggest change he made in the team?
"Well, it's not easy to have a change of manager in the middle of the season. We were not having our best season, but, uh, when he joined Chelsea, he was very clear the way he wanted us to play. And we built momentum. We start step by step.
"Especially defensively, we were very strong, but we were not working a lot defensively on the pitch. We were playing a lot, but the way he wanted us to play with the ball allowed us to recover a lot of balls high on the pitch and create chances. And in five months, we ended up qualifying for the Champions League. We won the Champions League, and we lost, uh, the FA Cup final. And we transform, uh, the same group because we were the same group. And yeah, it was very special."
You mentioned John Terry. Going back to the 2014/15 winning squad- He played all the games, all 90 minutes. How did he do that? You saw him in the dressing room and on the pitch. What did you learn from him, and how did you feel when he was playing next to you?
"I learned from him, and then I did it in 2017. That was a great example. Yeah. Gave me motivation, of course. Especially because he was playing every day, and playing at the top level. He was a captain and, and you could feel he was so strong that he was playing a big part in the team. And then when I had the chance two years later, I tried to replicate it."
N'Golo Kante was also one of the key players in that Chelsea side. Can you recall a bit on a game, on a training session, how much he gave to Chelsea, not only in the games, but also on the training ground?
"He was very commanding in midfield. He could cover every single space in midfield. He was very good with the ball, because he was always trying to pick the right option.
"And sometimes simple passes, but he was very clever in that way. And defensively, he would go everywhere and recover balls when everybody thought the midfielder or the striker passed him; he was already there. So he was very helpful for the team and for us as a defender. When you have him in front, you know he's gonna be there helping you."