“My best games”- Cesar Azpilicueta drops major hint on his preferred choice for Chelsea manager role

Cesar Azpilicueta reveals who he wants the next Chelsea manager to be

Speaking to Spanish outlet EFE (h/t Metro), Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has hinted that he would want Luis Enrique to become the next Blues manager.

Chelsea are on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Graham Potter last Sunday. Frank Lampard was appointed on an interim basis till the end of this season.

The club believes that Lampard’s appointment has given them time to finalise their process of hiring a permanent manager in the summer. A week ago, the Telegraph reported that Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique have been approached.

Hinting about having the latter as their new manager, here’s what Azpilicueta said (h/t Metro):

“There are parts [of the club] who negotiate, that we trust with doing what is best for the club. We will see what happens. My best games with the national team were with Luis Enrique as coach.”

Enrique was the manager of the Spanish national team till the 2022 World Cup campaign. He did an exceptional job there, by reaching the Euro 2021 semi-final and the Nations League Final 2021. His tenure ended in a bit of a disappointment when the 2010 World Cup winners lost to Morocco on penalties in Qatar.

He had an excellent record as a Barcelona manager before, winning nine trophies in three seasons, including a treble in 2014/15 that included a Champions League trophy.

As most Spanish managers are, Enrique is a possession-based coach who likes to dominate the ball and pass it till the opposition surrenders. But, he doesn’t mind being flexible as well.

When he was working with a front line of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Barcelona, they used to play a fast transition game to involve that blockbuster front three as quickly as possible. Once that happened, it spelt trouble for the opposition defenders.

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In terms of experience, tactical nous and the record of doing well whenever he has gone, Enrique seems like a great option for Chelsea to hire. Whoever we hire, it has to be the right appointment though and the man needs to be backed properly (not just by crazy money spending).