Chelsea youngster Dario Essugo has admitted he was taken aback when handed the captain's armband for a pre-season friendly, but the 21-year-old hopes his surprise appointment can serve as inspiration for other young players at the club.
The Portuguese midfielder captained the Blues in their 3-3 draw against Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday, a match that saw manager Xabi Alonso field a completely different starting line-up from the one that beat AC Milan 3-0 the previous day.
Essugo's reaction to captaincy honour
Despite the presence of established first-team names like Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson, Estevao, Jamie Gittens, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Geovany Quenda in the starting XI, it was Essugo who got the nod as skipper, having also worn the armband earlier in pre-season.
Speaking about the honour, Essugo said: 'For me it was a surprise but of course it's a pleasure. I didn't expect to be captain at this age and at this big club so for me it's just a pleasure and I enjoyed it a lot.'
The midfielder, who joined Chelsea from Sporting last year in a deal worth £18.5 million, believes his maturity earned him the role, adding: 'For me it means everything because I didn't expect it. It's a message for me and for all the players that it's not about the age, but maybe it's about maturity. It's learning and staying positive.'
Development at Chelsea
Reflecting on his development at Stamford Bridge, Essugo said: '[I've learned] a lot because here we have a lot of big players, so I try to learn from everyone. I think that's it, learning from my teammates and enjoy.'
The Portugal Under-21 international had a limited impact in his first season, making just three Premier League appearances and five in total across all competitions. However, the faith shown in him by Alonso during pre-season suggests he could play a more prominent role when the new campaign kicks off later this month.
Pre-season schedule and tactical flexibility
Chelsea have one more summer friendly against Real Sociedad on Saturday before opening their Premier League campaign at Fulham on August 24.
Alonso, who has experimented with both a back three and a back four during pre-season, explained his tactical approach after the AC Milan win, saying: 'We want to be versatile in our approach and system. I think we have the players to adapt to different ones because they understand how to support each other.'
He added: 'The principles are the same but the movements can change; we need to be unpredictable, we want to be flexible, and we want to have a threat. The system is just a picture; you need to move, rotate and create dynamics [in the team] and that is when the picture becomes a movie. We are not just sticking to one idea and the more options that we have, the better team we will be.'
