Chelsea: Marcos Alonso’s critics tell themselves what they want to hear

Marcos Alonso Derangement Syndrome continues to afflict a large portion of the Chelsea fan base. Alonso’s critics – who double as Emerson’s fan club – go out of their way to avoid the facts.

It has been three weeks since Marcos Alonso’s supposed “disaster class” against Wolves. Chelsea fans took the occasion of the loss to pounce on the Spaniard for a series of poor positioning and questionable passing.

In a game in which every single one of Chelsea’s players failed to perform, it was baffling that so much of the blame fell upon a single player. Whilst Alonso undeniably did not perform up to expectations, it is unfair and unproductive to criticize someone who has proven to be such a reliable member of Chelsea’s starting XI.

Ultimately, Marcos Alonso’s poor performance and the attendant loss were but the triggers for pre-existing dissatisfaction to rise up to the surface once more. The left back’s brilliant August fell into distant memories, and calls for Emerson’s induction into the XI grew ever louder.

The problem, it would seem, is that Alonso’s lack of pace more often than not leaves the left flank exposed for quick counter attacks by the opposition. The evidence, as proposed by Chelsea’s Twitter football fanatics, is how almost every goal conceded thus far has come from the left side of the pitch. Their solution would be to put a faster and “more robust” Brazilian by the name of Emerson in place of Alonso. The theory goes that his pace would allow him to cover the left side of the pitch to greater effect.

However, one only has to look to Emerson’s latest performance in the Europa League to realise that pace, unlike in FIFA 19, quite simply isn’t everything.

The Brazilian’s lack of positional awareness allowed Loic Nego to run up behind him to fire a first-time volley past a despairing Willy Caballero. Yes, the finish was exquisite. But the fact remains Emerson did not even realise there was a man running up behind him, having been caught ball-watching the whole time.

Nonetheless, Chelsea’s keyboard warriors were quick to brush off the goal and Emerson’s fault in its buildup. They swiftly declared the Brazilian had an average game, in spite of the glaring mistake, and touted him a more than an able replacement for Alonso.

In contrast, in Chelsea’s most recent defeat to Leicester City, the same crowd attributed Leicester’s goal to Alonso’s lack of recovery speed against Jamie Vardy. This allowed James Maddison to put Vardy through to secure a 1-0 win.

However, this overlooks that it was Pedro’s own cheap giveaway which triggered the counter in the first place, in addition to David Luiz’s lack of defensive discipline, which left an opening for the Englishman to exploit. Yet, in their desire to find a culprit for the embarrassing home loss to the Foxes, Alonso became the ready scapegoat simply because he “fit the narrative” in light of recent underwhelming performances.

The criticism of Alonso rose even further following his 90′ open goal miss. But laying blame on Alonso for not scoring the late equalizer once more fails to consider the team’s collective collapse following the opener from Leicester. How can Alonso be blamed for a loss in large parts due to Chelsea’s own lack of tactical discipline, especially when chasing the match against a resolute Leicester City defence?

The complementary school of thought says Emerson is better going forward than his Spanish counterpart. This, therefore, warrants a start over Alonso given how both are “defensively limited.”

Here, fans must once again take into account how Marcos Alonso has been the most unlucky player in the Premier League this season, having struck the post five times already this campaign. Moreover, Alonso has already recorded four assists this season whilst winning two penalties for his side. But this is the man who lacks attacking output according to many fans.

You don’t know what you got until it’s gone, and Chelsea fans have to remain cautious in their collective desires to see Alonso replaced by someone who has yet to prove himself a better alternative. The grass definitely isn’t always greener on the other side.