"I think a team with 11 Azpilicueta's probably could win [the Champions League]" says Jose Mourinho. For any other manager this an outlandish comment, one that raises serious questions. Azpilicueta, albeit a master of his art in 2014, doesn't score enough goals to win football matches. When it's Mourinho, it doesn't make his top 50 most memorable quotes.
He does have a point, to an extent though, and it's a lesson that Chelsea are currently learning. Mourinho's point, as much as praising the defender, was that football is about more than ability. Eight years on from that and Azpilicueta had lifted the Champions League, Mourinho is yet to do it again since 2010.
This isn't really about Azpilicueta though, he adds an important aspect to Graham Potter's current Chelsea squad, even if he wasn't favoured over Trevoh Chalobah off the bench against AC Milan. The 33-year-old is more than just the one-on-one defending or looped cross from central positions. He's more than a tucked in shirt.
