With Emerson’s injury, Frank Lampard will most likely be forced to bring Marcos Alonso onto the field. This may turn out to be a blessing as Alonso’s abilities and even his deficiencies are what Chelsea need at the moment.
Chelsea are in a difficult spot with Emerson’s injury during the international break. But his absence may force Chelsea boss Frank Lampard to play a more defensive / counter-attacking game in order to win games.
Despite Emerson’s good form on the left side of the defense and his ability to get up and down the field, Chelsea are still facing a lot of defensive problems. With that being said, these problems stem from collective issues, not any specific or limited to an individual player. Emerson is not solely responsible for the late goals conceded, but neither are each individual in the back four.
As it stands, Chelsea do not have good communication in the back line. Emerson runs too far forward and has no time to get back into position to defend when the opposition hits on the counter. A lot of times this leaves Cesar Azpilicueta either stranded mid-attack or acting as a third defender in bad situations. This, in turn, leads to mistakes from the center backs or rash decisions that could be prevented.
Playing Marcos Alonso once again will solve most defensive problems. Alonso may not be fast, but he is technical, and that is what Chelsea need at this juncture.
His reinstatement into the team will induce Lampard to prevent both full backs from venturing forward too often. With one technical and one gritty full-back, neither of whom are particularly fast, Lampard will need them to stay back and – heaven help us! – defend as defenders should do.
Although this will cut the fluidity of the midfield’s passing and attack, it will also fill the recurring holes that the opposition routinely and productively (from their perspective) exploits.
Despite all the criticism, Alonso is also a more direct player in front of goal than Emerson. Marcos Alonso enjoyed great seasons under Antonio Conte as a wing-back, scoring many wonderful goals that saved Chelsea on many occasions. This attribute is something Lampard can use whenever his team goes into the attack, especially if Chelsea start playing a counter-attacking game – which they should, since they need to tighten up on defence if they are to score more goals than they concede. Alonso’s left foot is pure quality in front of goal, and, despite being a defender, he is not afraid to take his shots.
Emerson is a good player, but is too carefree when it comes to the overall cohesiveness of the team. On the other hand, Alonso provides a more patient and conservative approach to how Chelsea can break down teams.
This will be a start for the Blues to bring three points home more consistently.