Azpilicueta: Marseille stint prepared me for Chelsea's must-win mentality

26-Dec-2012 10:00:00 PM

The 23-year-old, who initially struggled for appearances at his new club, feels that his experiences at the Ligue 1 club have aided his adaptation to life at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea right-back Cesar Azpilicueta feels that his spell at Marseille set him up well for his move to the Blues in the summer, with both clubs instilling a similar win-at-all-costs attitude.

The Spain Under-21s international arrived at Stamford Bridge for a reported fee of £7 million (€8.5m) in August but had to wait until November 3 before making his first Premier League start for his new side, with Branislav Ivanovic ahead of him in the pecking order.


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Azpilicueta observed that the English top flight is "more physical" than Ligue 1 but believes that his two-year spell at Stade Velodrome prepared him for the must-win mentality at Chelsea.

"It's more physical here [than in France] and the rhythm is higher," the defender told L'Equipe. "Sometimes, in the second half, it's a little bit mad but my two years at OM have helped me adapt. The pressure is the same.

"At Marseille, we had to win every game. At Chelsea too. The difference is that here we play to win each and every trophy. I came here for that and to grow as a player.

"I didn't play a lot in the first couple of weeks but that's normal," he added. "When you arrive at the European champions, you don't expect to be a first-team regular that quickly. I've worked hard to be able to hope to do that."