Marcos
Alonso has signed a new deal at Chelsea but the switch to left-back has not
been without its difficulties. With the help of Jamie Carragher, MNF Extra
explains why Maurizio Sarri is willing to work on the weaknesses because of
the player's strengths…
Chelsea have rewarded Marcos Alonso with a new five-year contract at the
club and some praise from his new coach. Maurizio Sarri declared the
Spaniard can become the best left-back in Europe. But while the 27 year old
will be staying at Stamford Bridge for the long term, there was a caveat in
among the bold pronouncements about his potential.
"He needs to improve in the defensive phase," explained Sarri. "He was used
to playing in a five in the defensive line. Now he is playing in a four, he
needs to improve. If he can do that, he will be the best in Europe."
Clearly, the onus is on Alonso to make adjustments to his game.
Already this season, Chelsea fans have had regular reminders of his
strengths - and his weaknesses. In the club's first two away games, against
Huddersfield and Newcastle, he was in the opposition area to win penalties
for his side and in the second of those matches it was his shot that DeAndre
Yedlin turned into his own net for Chelsea's late winner.
In the first home game of the season, the thrilling 3-2 win over Arsenal,
Alonso scored that late winner himself. No full-back has had more touches in
the opposition box this season and no defender has created more chances from
open play. His adventurous nature continues to be a significant asset for
Chelsea. But it is also causing some problems.
Alonso was criticised for staying on the ground with a minor injury for
Manchester United's equaliser in the recent 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge and
understandably so. But it is the second goal that is likely to have
concerned Sarri more. Alonso was far too high up the pitch.
Jamie Carragher is an admirer but he believes this was a prime example of
Chelsea being caught out because of the change in formation from the back
three used by Antonio Conte.
"Going to left-back is not a massive difference but it is a difference,"
Carragher tells MNF Extra. "You don't have as much cover behind you. With
three at the back, you don't have that extra centre-back who comes across
into that position.
"It was Gary Cahill who did a lot of that for him. Now it is David Luiz and
if you actually look at the second goal that Manchester United scored to go
2-1 up, he got done by Juan Mata but if it had been a back three then Cahill
would have been there to deal with that.
"I think David Luiz should have dealt with the situation better but the
difference with being in a back four is that you need to be that little bit
more switched on defensively. If you look at the game against Arsenal, he
was caught out with the ball in behind him as well. These are the things
that he needs to get better on."
Alonso has the tools to do the job. He can appear slow off the mark but
there is plenty to work with. "Although not as much now as it was a few
years ago when teams were more direct, it is still useful to have that
height as a full-back at the back post," adds Carragher.
The big challenge for Chelsea is getting Alonso to improve his work in the
defensive phase while not curtailing his attacking contribution too much. It
is a vital weapon for his team - he has been involved in more goals than any
other defender in the Premier League since joining Chelsea. And it is not
just his own contribution. It is the freedom he gives others.
The average position map for Chelsea's squad over the entirety of last
season offers a clue as to how he was used to maintain the width for his
team. Even though the average position map from the 4-0 win over Burnley
last time out shows that he was operating a little deeper than last season,
the switch to a 4-3-3 has not altered the fact that he is the widest man.
It is essential he continues to provide that outlet because it is
fundamental to Chelsea's approach under Sarri. According to Opta's advanced
metrics, they have had the most sequences of 10 passes or more of any team
this season - even more than Manchester City.
Chelsea also have greater absolute width per sequence than any of their
Premier League rivals. This means that in any such sequence they spread the
ball wider than others. Making the pitch big is essential because it opens
up the space for the man who needs it most.
"Eden Hazard wants to roam around, he does not want to be stuck in one
position so you still need the full-back to provide the width and Alonso
does that as well as anyone in the Premier League," says Carragher. "He is
brilliant for them in that side." That helps to explain why Chelsea are not
looking to change their left-back - whatever his weaknesses.
"Defensively he could be better but there are not many attacking full-backs
that we don't say that about," says Carragher. "It is one of those positions
where, if you have a problem at left-back, it is not easy to go and fix it
right away. I don't think there are lots of players around the world who you
can pick up and immediately it's fine. He has been a great addition for
Chelsea."
top