Latest news with #CesarAzpilicueta
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Chelsea's 2024-25 player of the season: Moises Caicedo
Who is the best player in the Premier League never to have featured in the Champions League? It is hard to think of a worthier answer to this particular question than Moises Caicedo, but he will not be eligible for much longer. Chelsea will be back in Europe's elite club competition next season, and the soft-spoken but tough-tackling Ecuador international might be the single most significant reason why. Advertisement Caicedo is the only member of Enzo Maresca's young squad to start all 38 of Chelsea's Premier League matches in 2024-25. The last Chelsea player to achieve the feat was Cesar Azpilicueta in 2018-19, and the last midfielder to do it was Frank Lampard in 2004-05. Joining that exclusive club is a testament to the 23-year-old's endurance, but also to his vital importance. He has been the ever-present reference point for Maresca's midfield, around which an inverted full-back can roam, ahead of which Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez can focus the bulk of their energies on the final third without worrying that Chelsea's defence is liable to be exposed. At times, it has felt as if he holds the entire team together — even on the occasions when he has been the nominal right-back inverting into midfield next to Romeo Lavia. 'When you've got Caicedo next to you, it's a dream, really,' Palmer told Sky Sports, as reported by MSN, after Chelsea's 3-1 win over Liverpool earlier this month. 'From the start of the season until now, he's been our best player. He's a machine. He wins everything back (for the team), always gives 100 per cent every day, he's humble, he's nice to everyone, and everyone loves him.' Palmer would have had a strong case to retain his Chelsea player of the season crown if he had managed to carry his 2024 production into 2025. Fernandez has had excellent stretches of form under Maresca this season. Marc Cucurella has bolstered his Stamford Bridge cult-hero credentials by darting upfield from left-back to score several key goals. Levi Colwill has been a fixture in Maresca's defence and scored the most important goal of the season against Nottingham Forest to seal a fourth-place finish. Yet it is a mark of just how good Caicedo has been that among his team-mates and Chelsea supporters, there was no real debate before the voting and no argument after he swept the board for men's first team awards at the club's awards ceremony earlier this month. Advertisement Midfielders who do their best work winning the ball back can sometimes be overlooked for individual credit, but not at Chelsea. This is the club where Claude Makelele was adored, where Nemanja Matic became a revered two-time Premier League champion, and where N'Golo Kante regularly drew gasps from the Stamford Bridge crowd as his otherworldly ability to take the ball from opponents cemented him as the most uniquely dominant midfielder of his generation. Caicedo, with his prime years still ahead of him, has already done enough to distinguish himself as part of that proud lineage. His aggression can sometimes get the better of him, and there are moments when he is overly ambitious in his attempts to poke the ball away. But relatively regular yellow cards are a small price to pay as he engages in the process of exploring the limits of his destructive talents. Opponents already respect his ability to disrupt or derail their attacks, and Chelsea's vast defensive improvement, impossible to ignore under Maresca, has a lot to do with Caicedo. 'Moi is just breaking up everything and making everything look so easy,' Colwill told Chelsea's official YouTube channel after last month's 1-0 win over rivals Tottenham. 'If I had a mic on me when I'm playing, all you'd hear is, 'Wow, Moi'. That's all I do because he makes it so easy for us in defence because he stops everything before it gets to us.' Caicedo's consistent aggression is all the more important at the heart of a young, technical Chelsea team that is often accused of lacking physicality and bite. On good days and bad, he sets the tone without the ball, as well as directing possession with poise and polish. Maresca has already publicly claimed that he is the best defensive midfielder in the world, and any Premier League team of the 2024-25 season which does not include Caicedo raises eyebrows at Stamford Bridge. The question going into next season is not whether he is ready for the Champions League, but whether the Champions League is ready for him.
USA Today
19-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cesar Azpilicueta vs. UD Las Palmas – Player props & odds to score a goal on April 19
Cesar Azpilicueta vs. UD Las Palmas – Player props & odds to score a goal on April 19 [gambcom-standard rankid="4130" ] Will Cesar Azpilicueta score a goal when Atletico Madrid goes up against UD Las Palmas on Saturday, April 19 at 3:00 PM ET? For updated stats and anytime goalscorer odds, continue scrolling. Atletico Madrid picked up a victory on April 14 against Real Valladolid with the final score 4-2. The victorious Atletico Madrid took 19 more shots in the matchup, 25 to six. Keep up with LaLiga action this season on Fubo! Cesar Azpilicueta's Odds to Score a Goal vs. UD Las Palmas Odds to score a goal next game: +1650 Soccer player prop odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 12:40 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. [gambcom-standard rankid="4142" ] Cesar Azpilicueta's 2024-25 Stats Atletico Madrid's Azpilicueta has one goal but zero assists this season in LaLiga. In terms of xG (expected goals), Azpilicueta is at 0.3, which is similar to his actual goal tally of one. Thus far in the 2024-25 season, he is averaging 0.2 shots per match (four total). Atletico Madrid vs. UD Las Palmas Scoring Insights Atletico Madrid has scored 53 goals in 31 matches this season (third in LaLiga), and UD Las Palmas has conceded 52 goals in 31 matches (19th in league). UD Las Palmas is ninth in LaLiga in goals scored (37 overall, 1.2 per game), and Atletico Madrid is second in goals conceded (26 overall, 0.8 per game). Atletico Madrid is third in LaLiga in goal differential at +27. UD Las Palmas' goal difference (-15) ranks 18th in LaLiga. Atletico Madrid vs. UD Las Palmas Match Info Matchup: Atletico Madrid at UD Las Palmas Atletico Madrid at UD Las Palmas Time: 3:00 PM ET 3:00 PM ET Date: April 19, 2025 April 19, 2025 Venue: Gran Canaria More Player Props: [gambcom-standard rankid="4338" ]
Sharjah 24
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Sharjah 24
Atletico Madrid falls to a draw against Espanyol in La Liga
Atletico Madrid's struggle in the title race Atletico Madrid suffered another blow in their quest for the La Liga title, drawing 1-1 against Espanyol on Saturday. Key moments of the match Cesar Azpilicueta opened the scoring for Atletico Madrid in the 38th minute, but Javi Boado equalized for Espanyol with a penalty in the 71st minute. Impact on Atletico's title hopes With 57 points, Atletico remains in third place. If Barcelona, the league leaders, defeat Girona on Sunday, the gap could widen to nine points with only nine rounds left in the season. Recent setbacks for Atletico Madrid Two weeks ago, Atletico Madrid suffered a significant blow to their title aspirations, losing 4-2 to Barcelona after leading 2-0. This came on the back of their elimination from the Champions League by Real Madrid in the round of 16.
Iraqi News
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Iraqi News
Spanish League: Atletico Madrid Draws Against Espanyol
Follow-up - INA A 1-1 draw sealed the result of the match between Atletico Madrid and Espanyol on Saturday, in the 29th round of the Spanish Premier League. Atletico Madrid took the lead through Cesar Azpilicueta in the 38th minute, while Espanyol managed to equalize in the second half with a goal scored by Javi Puado in the 71st minute. The gap between Atletico, who are in third place with 57 points, and leaders Barcelona could widen to nine points with nine rounds remaining if the Catalan club wins against their neighbor and guest, Girona, on Sunday. Two weeks ago, the capital club suffered a blow at the hands of Barcelona, losing 4-2 after leading 2-0. This came after their elimination from the Champions League round of 16 at the hands of second-place Real Madrid, who are in second place with 60 points and will host Leganes later. Argentine coach Diego Simeone's team has yet to taste victory in The last five matches, specifically since their 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on March 1st, saw Espanyol, who have a postponed match against Villarreal scheduled for April 27th, move up to 29 points in fifteenth place.
Reuters
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Puado penalty helps Espanyol hold Atletico 1-1
BARCELONA, Spain, March 29 (Reuters) - Captain Javi Puado scored from the penalty spot to cancel out a first-half strike by Cesar Azpilicueta as relegation-threatened Espanyol held third-placed Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw in LaLiga on Saturday. Marash Kumbulla's headed attempt to clear Antoine Griezmann's cross reached Azpilicueta, whose calm right-footed shot from outside the box found the net in the 38th minute. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. However, Clement Lenglet's foul on Leandro Cabrera near the edge of the box awarded 15th-placed Espanyol a chance to make a comeback, and Puado made no mistake from the penalty spot to make it even in the 71st minute and earn a precious point. Atletico, winless in three matches, moved to 57 points, six below leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand. Espanyol, who have 29 points, are two points above the relegation zone.
