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Three possible Marcos Alonso replacements for Chelsea

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Union Berlin's Austrian defender Christopher Trimmel (L) and Leipzig's Spanish defender Angelino vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig v Union Berlin in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on April 23, 2022. - DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by Ronny HARTMANN / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images)
Union Berlin's Austrian defender Christopher Trimmel (L) and Leipzig's Spanish defender Angelino vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig v Union Berlin in Leipzig, eastern Germany, on April 23, 2022. - DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by Ronny HARTMANN / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images) /
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BERLIN, GERMANY – APRIL 24: Maximilian Mittelstadt of Hertha Berlin is challenged by Borna Sosa of VfB Stuttgart during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and VfB Stuttgart at Olympiastadion on April 24, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – APRIL 24: Maximilian Mittelstadt of Hertha Berlin is challenged by Borna Sosa of VfB Stuttgart during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and VfB Stuttgart at Olympiastadion on April 24, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images) /

2. Borna Sosa (VfB Stuttgart)

Similar to Raum, Borna Sosa’s performances were magnified. They were made all the more impressive because of the team he played in. Unlike Raum, Sosa’s team finished so far down the table that it barely escaped relegation. Players in relegation-fighting squads usually have access to many defensive actions per game, but rarely do they have loads of offensive contributions. Sosa really wasn’t great defensively, but that goes without saying as the whole Stuttgart team was in a relegation fight for the entire season.

All of that being said, Sosa was crucial for his team in terms of ball progression and chance creation. Sosa ranked in the 94th percentile or higher in progressive passes per 90 and progressive carries per 90 amongst fullback in Europe’s top leagues. Sosa not only played a major role in giving progressive passes, he was also often there to receive them. The 24-year-old received 3.5 progressive passes per 90, a number good enough to rank in the 88th percentile for fullbacks. Sosa also led his team in key passes per game (2.2), assists (eight) and big chances created (nine). Compared to Alonso, Sosa did better in those metrics, with Alonso creating 1.3 chances per game, creating six big chances and producing four assists in the league.

Sosa is clearly very good on the ball, but he’s defensively subpar. He gets dribbled past as much as he wins possession through tackles per 90 (0.54). He’s not likely to have less work to do as a left wingback, should he play in a team like the Blues, so he would need to work on significantly improving his tackling. He did win 0.4 possession in the final third per game for Stuttgart though, which is as much as Alonso does for Chelsea. Despite Sosa’s defensive frailties, he would be a more than useful addition to the Blues as he’s likely to play in a team that provides more cover for the Croatian—both in front of and behind him.

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