Cesar Azpilicueta will begin his sixth season at Chelsea as team's new vice-captain, but some things, like the defender’s value to Antonio Conte’s squad, and his hunger to succeed, never change.
That much is quickly apparent when we sit down with the Spaniard at Cobham ahead of the Community Shield. He has a steely determination in his eyes as he talks of focus and fitness, and it is this calmness and concentration he puts into everything he does that makes him such a fearsome competitor on the pitch, and such a leader off it.
‘I’m happy and proud for the role,’ Azpilicueta says when the vice-captaincy is brought up. It’s clear he means it.
‘I will try to help like I always have done. With my experience I will try to keep improving as a player, as a person, and to try to help us become a better team. That’s what we are all here for.
‘I try to be myself on and off the pitch,’ adds Azpilicueta.
‘Since I came here I have always worked hard. It was not easy but I always believed in myself. I have the confidence of the club, of the manager, of my team-mates, and to have the support from everybody is important.
‘I will try to help in my role, to help Gary Cahill (club captain) in whatever he needs, and also to help the rest of the players so we go in the same direction.
‘It’s really important to be sure of the path we all want to take. The season is long, so sometimes there are difficult moments where we have to stick together, because we know how competitive this league is. The standard of this club is to fight for trophies, it’s a long way and hopefully we can finish the season with trophies. That’s what we want.’
To that end, Azpilicueta has been setting his usual high standards in pre-season. No player has played more minutes so far than the man who didn’t miss a single second of our brilliant title triumph last term. You get the sense he could play twice as many matches if required, too. So why is he so fit?
‘It’s something that even in the holidays I cannot stop. I always like to take care of myself, and I think that helps you in your first weeks back. You need to try to get the fitness work right for the rest of the season because there are so many games and you have to be ready for it.
‘I do the same fitness work that we do here during the holidays. We get given a personalised plan by the fitness coaches before we go away. Obviously we have a few days and weeks where it’s good to try to disconnect your body, to breathe, but then it’s time to kick on and start working again.’
And what of the season ahead, starting with today’s Wembley showpiece against one of our north London rivals? Azpilicueta pauses before revealing his hopes and expectations for the next nine months or so.
‘We are the current Premier League champions,’ he asserts proudly. ‘We know what that means.
‘We are back in the Champions League, too, and our target is to fight for every trophy. We know that every year the league is getting harder and harder, and we know that the Champions League is something different.
‘We will try to go for all of it. We have the team to do it, and we have the work ethic to do it. We know you can’t relax in the Premier League; you have to start well from the beginning because if you don’t your chances could be over.
‘So the Community Shield is really important. It’s a trophy to fight for and we are looking forward to playing it. They’re a good team, we know that from the FA Cup final, but we want to get a trophy and start the season well.
‘A first trophy in our first game would be the perfect start to help us focus for the Premier League.’