Versatility the key, says Azpilicueta

Cesar Azpilicueta says the versatility he has shown at Chelsea was needed again for his country in their 2-2 draw with England at Wembley.

It looked for much of Tuesday night’s friendly that the Blues full-back would come off second best against club team-mate Gary Cahill, who earned his 53rd cap for England.

But two goals in the final minutes dashed hopes of a prestigious win for the hosts.

Azpilicueta, who won his 19th cap for Spain, showed the sort of adaptability he has displayed under Blues boss Antonio Conte at club level, switching from a back three to a flat back four during the match and operating on both flanks.

“At Chelsea we have been playing with that [a back three] in the last few games,” he told West London Sport.

“We started like this. But we changed and I played left-back. I try to improve in every position, to be able to do my job in every position, so obviously it was a special game for me.

“We knew we could change the formation. It’s important for a team that we can change formation depending on the game, and the way they were playing also.

“It was important for us as players to change and adapt.”

Azpilicueta had words of comfort for England after they let slip a 2-0 lead, saying he thought Gareth Southgate’s team played “with great personality.”

He added: “We knew that they were in a good run. We know their strong points. At the end we had the control but we knew that they were dangerous on the counter attack.

“Obviously when 2-0 down we did not deserve that score, but we worked really hard and kept trying right until the end and we got the reward that we deserved.”