Chelsea left back Cesar Azpilicueta has called on his teammates to put in the hard yards ahead of their Premier League opener against West Ham United on Monday.

The Blues recently secured a 4-2 victory over Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in their final pre-season match as they prepare for the 2016-17 season under new coach Antonio Conte.

The 26-year-old has labelled one aspect of the Blues game during the pre-season that could be crucial in the coming season.

‘It’s important to be flexible in terms of formation,’ Azpilicueta told the Chelsea website.

‘Every time the manager tries the best solution so we, the players, have to be ready to adapt to play in every system. The target is always the same, to beat the opponent, and with the different formations, we can play we always have the ability to do that.’

Azpilicueta insists that Chelsea are working hard to prepare themselves for their opening clash against their London rivals on Monday.

‘We will try to get as close as possible to perfection as we can, even if it’s hard,’ he added.

‘We are ready for work for that, we have a good few more days of training before the season starts, the games are finished, and now it’s time to focus on West Ham. We are excited.’

During the 2015-16 season, Azpilicueta managed to feature 49 times for the Blues, scoring twice and assisting a further five in all competitions.

Kick-off has been set for 21:00.

Image: Chelsea website