Chelsea vs Zenit: Three lessons learnt in Champions League opener

2. Marcos Alonso puts in yet another brilliant display

One of the biggest surprises of the season has to be Marcos Alonso’s brilliant performances and consistency. The Spanish left wingback had been shunned out of the team not long ago under the regime of Frank Lampard. He was not supposed to stay at the club for long as Ben Chilwell had taken over his spot. Even when Tuchel replaced the failing Lampard, Chilwell was the preferred player. Although Alonso played in a few games last season, the majority of the minutes were given to Chilwell. However, this time, the English left back is not getting a chance to get into the first team due to Alonso’s spectacular performances. He has made it even harder for Chilwell to make a comeback after another amazing outing on Tuesday against Zenit.

The wingback was playing his traditional role, running up and down the wing and helping out the attack and defense both. The player has been 100 percent committed to his role and he is playing even better than his first season with the Blues. The biggest problem with Alonso has always been his tracking back and tackling. He loves to go forward and help out the striker, but isn’t a huge fan of defensive action. Regardless, it seems like the Spaniard has worked on his tackling and speed, and now he is able to fall back to perform his defensive duties properly.

Tuesday’s match was a tough one, even for Alonso, as the Russian side deployed one of its speediest and most skillful players down the right wing. Malcom was quite a handful for the Chelsea defenders, but Alonso kept up with him as much as he could, and the former Barcelona man could not have a huge impact on the game. He did make a few good runs though, but Alonso closed him down quickly. Antonio Rudiger helped him out, as well. Overall, it was a professional display by Alonso, one which will most likely secure him a place in the first team for the next match.