Chelsea beat Crystal Palace in the Premier League but before the start of the match, a few people had doubts over the selection of Reece James as the first-choice right-back.
Reece James came on during the second half of the Ajax game and he was easily one of the best players on the pitch for the Blues. And this is why Lampard chose to drop Azpilicueta to the bench and give the youngster a chance.
While James has impressed the manager with his dedication on the training grounds but handing him a start during a key Premier League clash vs Palace was obviously going to be a big gamble from the manager.
Now though, the Chelsea boss has come out to explain his decision of selecting Reece James over Azpiliceuta.
“Reece was fantastic against one of the best wingers in the league one-v-one,” Lampard said.
“He is a real threat on the counter-attack and Reece dealt with those situations and also joined in with the attack; you can see how comfortable he is with the ball at his feet and his delivery and passing.
“I trust Reece. He had an injury early season but he has got fit and has been training at a level where he deserved minutes and he did brilliantly.
“It’s part of my job[to make tough decisions]. It would be a tougher call if I was speaking to him when he was having a difficult time and I was bringing a kid in but Azpi is playing really well for us.
“He is a leader and a driver but with Reece and the way he is playing the opportunity to play him was one I had to make because it gives me options going forward.
“Azpi is such a great personality and character. He is easy to speak to because he feels the club and he wants the best and knows how much I value him.
“It might give me some selection problems going forwards but I want what’s best for the team and it’s a nice problem.”
Azpilicueta has been a great servant to Chelsea and Saturday’s game was one of the rare occasions when the club captain was not named in the first XI.
And perhaps this is how things will be during the course of the season especially with Reece James impressing on every outing he gets with the first-team.
