- Sanchez sings praises of Azpilicueta
- Claims it’s a ‘privilege’ to share the dressing room with him
- Reveals he is still better than the youngsters in training
The youngsters at Sevilla, according to star signing Sanchez, are still struggling to keep up with veteran defender Azpilicueta. The former Arsenal talisman was full of praise of his once-Liga Premier rival and admitted that it has been a “privilege” for him to have the Chelsea legend by his side.
Sevilla have been below-par in La Liga ever since their fourth-placed finish at the end of the 2021-22 season. Last season, they escaped relegation by a whisker, finishing in 17th position, just one point about the danger zone. In the two seasons prior, they ended on 14th and 12th positions after finishing in the top four in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. In an attempt to reclaim their position as one of Spain‘s top dogs after the ‘Big Three’, they have gambled on the experience of Sanchez and Azpilicueta, who joined as free agents at the age of 36.
Ex-Barcelona star Sanchez has dismissed doubts about the pair’s ability despite their age, saying Azpilicueta is clearly still at the top of his game. Speaking in an interview with MARCA he said: “We always play against each other, in Inglaterra, en el nacional team too, and it’s a privilege for me to have him by my side. I’ll tell you a story that you might not know. They were giving out the data on who ran the most, and he was the one who had run the most. So, sometimes the experience of being a professional can take you far behind. There are players who are of a certain age that run more than a 20-year-old kid, and sometimes you can get a lot out of that mix.”
With one win and two losses from their opening two games, Sevilla will hope to earn more points and climb higher up the table when they take on Elche on Friday at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
