César Azpilicueta has backed Pedro to build on his “amazing” start for Chelsea and has insisted he does not fear for his place following the arrival of the Ghana left-back Baba Rahman.
The Spain international’s first-ever Premier League goal at The Hawthorns on Sunday ensured that Chelsea finally recorded a victory in their third match of the season despite the sending off of John Terry. Pedro, despite having only finalised his move from Barcelona for £21.1m on Thursday, was handed his full debut against West Brom by José Mourinho and scored after just 20 minutes.
That came as no surprise to Azpilicueta, who has played with the 27-year-old with Spain on several occasions.
“I know him very well and he fits into the team very well. I know his ambition, he is hungry to help the team, win trophies and I know the way he started the first game is amazing,” said the defender.
“I know from the national team he is a top player, he played for Barcelona for so many years and he fits into our team and the Premier League.”
Asked if Pedro can improve on his debut performance, Azpilicueta added: “He will do. He has trained one week, he played his first game, he is discovering the Premier League and I’m sure he will get better. In England a few things are different like the pace and teams push until the end, even when they are losing.”
Originally deployed as a right-back when he joined from Marseille in 2012, Azpilicueta has been used on the other flank under Mourinho to accommodate Branislav Ivanovic. The Serb, criticised for his performances in the opening two matches against Swansea and Manchester City, fared better against West Brom on Saturday although the team conceding two more goals will not have pleased his manager.
Rahman trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday having joined for an initial £14m from German side Augsburg and could be in line for his debut in Saturday’s home match against Crystal Palace. Azpilicueta has welcomed the competition and admitted he would be willing to swap positions to accommodate the 21-year-old.
“I am confident to keep working, keep doing my job. I know the competition is good for the team. I had a few great players around me. At the end hopefully the team will be better,” he said.
“They are two good additions to the squad, it helps everybody to have competition in the squad. I play more games on the left but I’m always ready to play where the manager wants me.”
