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Football London
Football London
Sport
Robert Warlow

Chelsea news: Lampard's 'clever move', what next for Azpilicueta, Abraham's impressive record

Things are looking pretty good for Chelsea going into the latest international break.

The 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday was Chelsea's sixth victory in a row in the Premier League and has moved the Blues into third place above Manchester City, who they face in their next match after the break.

And with Chelsea also in contention to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, Frank Lampard should be pretty pleased with how things are going for his side.

But now with many players heading off on international duty, we take a look at the latest Chelsea news from the past 24 hours, below.

The Blues' 'best player'

Chelsea's Willian has come in for plenty of praise so far this season - and BBC pundit Garth Crooks is the latest to do so after his performance against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Brazilian captained Chelsea against the Eagles, and played a key role in the 2-0 victory, with Willian providing the assist for Tammy Abraham's opening goal, while he led by example as captain to help the Blues to a sixth win in a row in the Premier League.

And Crooks has described the 31-year-old as the Blues' "best player" and the perfect candidate to help bring the young players through at Chelsea.

"What a clever move by Frank Lampard to make Willian captain," he said, after including Willian in his team of the week for the BBC website.

Frank Lampard press conference after Crystal Palace win

"The Brazilian is now an elder statesman at Stamford Bridge and the perfect candidate to bring the Chelsea youngsters through.

"He is also the best player in the team and can command the respect of some very talented but inexperienced young players."

Find out who else made Crooks' team of the week here.

Cesar Azpilicueta's reaction to being dropped

Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta found himself in the unusual position on Saturday of being on the bench.

Having been an ever-present in the Premier League this season, it was a surprise to some fans to see Azpilicueta among the substitutes, with Reece James preferred at right-back.

But Lampard moved to explain his decision on Saturday, with James justifying his selection with a fine performance up against Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

And the Chelsea head coach has been full of praise for how the Blues' captain reacted to his decision.

Asked how Azpilicueta reacted to being dropped, Lampard said: "He took it as I thought he would, as a perfect professional. It was not a problem.

"He wants to play, of course he does, but he also understands the quality of Reece [James] and the fact that through the long course of the season, not just for Azpi but for every position, there is a lot of change.

"Azpi had played every minute of every game this season, barring the EFL Cup. So I don’t think it was the worst for him to have a rest. We’ve got massive games coming up after the break."

Tammy Abraham's impressive record

It has been a fine start to the season for Tammy Abraham.

The Chelsea striker netted his tenth Premier League goal of the campaign in the 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday, giving a timely reminder to England boss Gareth Southgate ahead of the upcoming international fixtures.

While Spurs' Harry Kane is the undisputed main man for Gareth Southgate, Abraham has certainly given himself a chance of being the second in command - particularly given the record he has equalled.

Having scored 10 goals so far season, Abraham has already equalled the best-ever return from Manchester United favourite Marcus Rashford, taking just 12 matches to do so.

Rashford has been a star performer for United and England at times in recent seasons, but he hasn't quite been able to find a level of consistency in front of goal, with the ten goals he scored in 2018/19 his best return so far in a single Premier League campaign.

Abraham's remarkable form is therefore certainly something for Chelsea fans to enjoy.

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