After erratic performances in the ongoing season, Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has accepted that teams are no longer afraid of playing against them at their home- Stamford Bridge. The Blues recently faced a 2-0 defeat against Southampton at their home ground that has allowed other teams to remain in the race to top four.
Post the defeat, Azplicueta stated that the teams have started coming at their home with a lot of confidence since Chelsea have not been winning a lot of matches at their home. Their first priority at the moment is to regain respect at their home and they can only do so by winning more matches.
It is worth highlighting that Chelsea have lost three of their last four Premier League encounters at their home.
“It’s true that when teams see we have not won games, they come here with more confidence because they see they can do it. So forget tactics. Everything is about recovering the respect at home, being solid at home, because it is not normal to lose so many games in your stadium,” he said addressing the media.
“I don’t think the pressure of playing at home should be negative. It should be the opposite. We have the players, we have the quality and we have to turn it around straight away. The lesson has been very harsh – losing three [recent] games and scoring zero goals.
“It’s difficult to understand why this is happening because normally at home you find teams a bit more defensive, we can enjoy more time on the ball and you can create more chances.
“It’s up to us. When you play at home it is not about the rival, it is about yourself – about moving the ball quick to find the spaces, to create chances and give the fans and ourselves a lift,” he concluded.