Marcos Alonso blends passing and defence to bolster Chelsea’s left

If all Marcos Alonso did was free Eden Hazard of defensive responsibilities and show off his hair, we would be satisfied. Fortunately he does much more, bringing a strong blend of defence and passing to Chelsea’s left side.

Marcos Alonso is Victor Moses’ mirror image. Alonso is Chelsea’s go-to left wingback, just as Moses is on the right. Moses played most of his career as a winger before shifting deeper to wingback under Antonio Conte. Alonso was primarily a left-back with some midfield time before moving up the pitch.

Moses receives the ball on the far side of the opponents’ midfielders and charge forward on attack. Alonso is more prone to recover the ball deep and play it up to Eden Hazard. Alonso frees Hazard from defensive duties, while Moses takes advanced positions allowing Pedro to drop back towards N’Golo Kante.

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Whereas Moses’ most impressive statistics are his offensive production and creation, Alonso’s are on defence and supporting the offence. Over Chelsea’s eight games in the 3-4-3, Marcos Alonso has only missed one clearance and is perfect in headed clearances. His control in the air – whether in aerial duels, clearances or headed passes – gives Chelsea a new dimension on the left.

Alonso praised Chelsea’s ability to win different types of games. Both blowout wins and come-from-behind nail-biters “are very satisfying.”

"I remember how I celebrated with Gary Cahill at the end of the Tottenham game – it was great to come back like we did that day… But it was also great to get the results like we did against Everton and Man U, so I get satisfaction from both. – Chelsea FC"

Chelsea’s fixture against Tottenham was one of Alonso’s best games of the season. He went 5-for-5 on clearances and 3-for-3 on headed clearances, with a 77% pass completion – his second-highest of the season.

Perhaps because it falls between the extremes of styles on win, but Alonso overlooked arguably his strongest game of the season. Against Southampton he had seven clearances, four headed clearances and four tackles. Interestingly, Alonso has his second-lowest pass percentage against Saints: 64% with 27 completed passes.

Alonso was somewhat absent from last Saturday’s game against Manchester City. He struggled to get position on – let alone keep up with – City’s high-speed midfielders and forwards. Alonso’s lack of speed and agility makes it easy for a quick-footed opponent to turn him.

He is particularly vulnerable on a quick inside-out move. The longer Alonso retreats in a one-on-one situation, giving his opponent space, the more likely he is to end up flat-footed with the ball and the man going past him.

However, Alonso had his moments against City. He had the first Chelsea touch on the five-man, 11-second counter-attack ending in Willian’s go-ahead goal. His 90th minute pass up the wing to Eden Hazard to set up Chelsea’s third goal. His deep play enabled Hazard to linger towards midfield. Because Alonso alleviated Hazard’s defensive duties, Chelsea can keep Hazard as a target man up the pitch.

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Marcos Alonso’s play over the last eight games proves that he is more than just a fortunate son with a great head of hair. With Chelsea playing in a wingback formation for the foreseeable future, Alonso will have plenty of opportunities to improve and impress on Chelsea’s left side.