Chelsea: Alonso has the most to gain from Tuchel’s appointment
It is clear that some players didn’t have a chance of getting playing time at Chelsea under Frank Lampard for many different reasons. These players have been sidelined for a plethora of reasons. A new manager with different ideas and perhaps different principles may see things differently.
One player who perhaps has the most to gain from a change of head coach is Marcos Alonso. Alonso arrived at west London in the 2016/17 season under the management of Antonio Conte, who had to convince the board to spend on an unproven player. Alonso worked perfectly for Conte in the 3-4-3 system that Conte eventually switched to at half time against Arsenal while 0-3 down. Alonso came on in the 55′ and instantly made an impact. The Spaniard played every minute of the next 13 league matches in Chelsea’s 13-game win streak en route to winning the title. He played as a left wingback in Conte’s system, and he was excellent at it.
It is now public knowledge that while Alonso is a good at many things, he’s not fast, and while you can get away with that in a three-centerback formation, you won’t be so protected in a two-centerbacks formation. Unfortunately, Conte left the club and a new manager came with a new system. Alonso had to play in a two-centerback formation, this of course exposed his deficiencies. He still made a considerable number of appearances in Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 system though.
Only a few weeks into Lampard’s tenure and it was instantly clear that Lampard preferred Alonso’s Italian colleague, Emerson. It is likely that Lampard’s issue with the Spaniard was his inability to handle both the defensive and offensive side of the game due to his limited pace. He was forced to use the Spaniard anyway, as Emerson also did not meet expectations. A horror show in the first half against West Brom at the Hawthorns saw Lampard sub off Alonso at half, later blaming him for two of three goals conceded in the first half.
Alonso never stepped onto the pitch again for a Lampard team. Reports later came out that suggested that Alonso’s disappearance from the line-up was for non-footballing reasons. Chelsea allegedly got offers for the Spaniard in the summer, but they couldn’t agree on a fee. Therefore, the Blues still have Alonso as an employee for the foreseeable future, as his contract runs till the middle of 2023.
One of the good and bad things that comes with a new regime, especially in football, is that everyone is on a fresh slate. The new manager will often be ready to judge each player on his own criteria. This is an advantage for players that have been sidelined indefinitely, but not so much for players who have been performing well, because it means they have to start building their rep from scratch. Lampard and Thomas Tuchel will demand different things from his players, so it’s likely that they’ll select starting line-ups with different criteria too.
Tuchel used a 3-4-3 in his first match for Chelsea. Reports have suggested that he has been known to select that formation often and Alonso’s best season came when he was playing in a 3-4-3. This means that Tuchel may decide to give a go ahead to one of the best wingbacks in the league.
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If Tuchel does decide to give Alonso a chance at claiming a spot in the starting line-up, it is left for the former Fiorentina man to step up to the plate and show Tuchel why Conte put so much faith in him for two full seasons. As if the Chelsea gaffer is standing behind me looking at my screen as I typed this, Alonso was selected to start for the Blues against Burnley, where he played rather well considering it was his first action since September.