Chelsea: 3 pairs of outcasts who could be saviours against Spurs and Bayern
By Varun Dani
2. Marcos Alonso and Reece James: Wingback return
Whether it is Olivier Giroud, Michy Batshuayi or *gulp* Ross Barkley, the striker can’t do it all. He will need attacking support from his teammates to create and finish chances. With young pups Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the treatment table and Willian out of form, the outlook is rather lacklustre.
When you need an out-of-the-box solution from limited squad options, take a deep breath, keep a Conte mind and you will find your answer: deploy Marcos Alonso and Reece James as wingbacks.
Marcos Alonso is not as bad at defending as ChelsTwit purports him to be. Defending is quite an underrated quality of his.
He often reads the play and puts himself in positions where he can make a crucial tackle, block or interception. He is no Ashley Cole, but can be good enough to do the trick. The problem is his lack of pace, which comes back to bite him when his offensive tendencies take him too far ahead.
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Conversely, Reece James is not as good at defending as ChelsTwit purports him to be… yet. While he is built like a tank and a revelation offensively, his overconfidence and lapses in concentration lead to costly mistakes. He often misreads the game and gets into disadvantageous positions to let opponents go past him, which is quite normal for a player his age.
Their narratives are nearly parallel, but there is a point of convergence: playing as wingbacks. Accentuating the duo’s offensive prowess by letting them create and score chances while minimizing their defensive risks could be a stroke of genius that sees Frank Lampard lead the team to victory in these dire circumstances.
For a team devoid of creativity, the answer could just lie in Marcos Alonso and Reece James running down the wings.