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Antonio Rudiger ‘is the alpha male in the Chelsea locker room’ … but some teammates ‘believe his challenges in training cross the line’ with the defender under fire for his role in Frank Lampard sacking
Antonio Rudiger is seen as the ‘alpha male’ in the Chelsea dressing room and the player many believe Thomas Tuchel needs to rally on to make his time in the Premier League a success.
The Germany international has come under heavy criticism for his role in Frank Lampard’s sacking on Monday after falling out of favor for selection under the Englishman.
Detailed in the Daily Telegraph, Rudiger has been described as the most vocal player in team meetings and is one of the loudest voices in the locker room during good times and bad.
Antonio Rudiger has been described as the ‘alpha-male’ personality in the Chelsea dressing room
He reportedly ‘crossed the line’ in training with tackles in the eyes of some teammates
Rudiger represents a strong character in what is a young locker room, and while his leadership is vital, the report adds that his ferocity in training hasn’t always been well received.
Teammates are said to have been “surprised” by some of the challenges he faced in practice sessions, with some believing they “cross the line” on what’s acceptable.
Earlier this week, it was detailed that Rudiger, Jorginho and Marcos Alonso “ caused problems ” during training during Lampard’s tenure.
Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham (left) leaped in defense of teammate Rudiger (right) who was criticized by sections of Chelsea supporters after he was apparently the victim of squad roundups leading up to the sacking by Frank Lampard.
Rudiger is said to have “ repeatedly clashed with Cesar Azpilicueta ” in what turned to a hostile environment ahead of Lampard’s exit.
Azpilicueta and Tammy Abraham both came to the German’s defense on social media on Tuesday to denounce claims he is a difficult presence in the Blues squad.
“Hear some crazy stuff about Antonio Rudier on social media today. Completely absurd. Toni is a big brother to all of us, ” Abraham said on Twitter.
Azpilicueta went on to quote Abraham’s comments on Twitter with three blue heart emojis and a photo of him standing alongside Rudiger.
Lampard wouldn’t be the only manager who found Rudiger difficult to deal with given the German had a difficult relationship with Antonio Conte at times.
Lampard attempted to sell Rudiger last summer after bringing the German down in the pecking order
Rudiger is seen as a dominant personality and Thomas Tuchel will have to rally him
Conte is incredibly fiery and The Telegraph says the Italian found Rudiger a ‘handful’ in the locker room yet.
Lampard tried to sell Rudiger last summer, but was unsuccessful, so he persisted in playing Kurt Zouma alongside summer signing Thiago Silva.
In the two games leading up to the FA Cup victory over Luton, Lampard brought Rudiger back into the fold.
They were arguably the two biggest games of Lampard’s career as Chelsea boss and it was a testament to Rudiger’s fighting spirit that Lampard had accompanied him from the start of those games.
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