SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 1 hr 53 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Azpilicueta: 'Tammy Abraham does more than just score goals'

:Headline: Azpilicueta: 'Tammy Abraham does more than just score goals': ID:381813: from db_amp
The Chelsea striker is riding high in the scoring charts.

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta insists Blues talisman Tammy Abraham has far more to offer than just goals.

Abraham headed his 11th Premier League goal of the season and laid on a fine winner for Mason Mount as Chelsea saw off Aston Villa 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

England hitman Abraham sits second behind Jamie Vardy in the race for the golden boot, but Spain full-back Azpilicueta insisted the 22-year-old is not even thinking about personal accolades.

Tammy Abraham has impressed with his all-round displays this season (Martin Rickett/PA)

"Not only is he scoring goals he is playing for the team, recovering the ball; he made a tackle in our own half that was an amazing effort for him," said Azpilicueta.

"He made an assist as well. I am not just looking into his goals as a number because he is doing more than that."

Asked if Abraham could win the golden boot award for the Premier League's top scorer in his first full season in the division with Chelsea, Azpilicueta said: "No, he doesn't talk about that. If he scores the most goals then the team will do better as well.

"It is something we are looking at as a team and I am confident that he can get many more goals because of the way he is working and improving since he started pre-season. It is amazing and he has the potential to go even higher.

Frank Lampard revealed Abraham was in pain ahead of the Villa game (Adam Davy/PA)

"We know we are still in December with a lot of games but with his passion and hunger, he is capable of getting to the top, for sure.

"He is second after Vardy. Vardy is having an amazing season with a lot of goals and Tammy is just behind him so if he is there it is because he deserves to be."

Abraham suffered a nasty-looking hip injury in Chelsea's 2-2 Champions League draw in Valencia that forced him out of Saturday's 1-0 home reverse to West Ham.

Boss Frank Lampard revealed he was still in pain on Tuesday as Chelsea handed the free-scoring striker a last-minute fitness test before facing Villa.

“His desire is amazing; when he was injured he wanted to come back as soon as possible”
- Cesar Azpilicueta on Tammy Abraham

Abraham fired 26 goals in 40 matches in last year's loan stint at Villa, and the away supporters chanted his name in continued gratitude at full-time in west London.

Azpilicueta hailed Abraham for his grit to shake off that troublesome hip complaint for a quickfire return that helped Chelsea get back to winning ways.

"His desire is amazing; when he was injured he wanted to come back as soon as possible.

"I think for him it was special to play against Aston Villa where he got promoted to the Premier League and where he had an amazing spell there.

"So for him, it was a special game. I am very happy for him because he showed that strength of character to play, score and get an assist. He was key for us.

Dean Smith has called for more consistency from his Aston Villa players (Adam Davy/PA)

"He showed his desire in pre-season to be a striker for Chelsea. It is something he has dreamt about and he worked for it all the way through the academy. He got his chance and is making the most of it."

Villa boss Dean Smith insisted his side has the ability to challenge the league's best, but must add extra consistency.

"We hung in there but that's not what we're about; we work hard but that's what I expect," said Smith.

"I feel we can be as good as teams like Chelsea but we have to be more consistent in our play to be able to do that.

"When we played with belief, we put them under pressure, but at times we sat up a little bit too much and allowed them to play."

amp_article__381813 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-12-05 12:54:27:
html db last update - 2021-03-09 08:21:12 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Cesar Azpilicueta

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .