Has Chilwell done enough to finally displace Alonso at Chelsea?
Cameron Smith
- 10 Oct 2021 12:28 BST
- 4 min read
After being substituted at half-time against West Brom in November 2020, it looked as though Marcos Alonso's Chelsea career was over.
The Spaniard showered before heading to the team bus, rather than the stands, to watch the second-half. He did return to the stadium during the second 45 minutes, but never joined his teammates in the stands.
This left then-manager Frank Lamaprd furious, who, according to The Athletic, gave the defender a "dressing down" in front of the entire Chelsea squad.
Alonso never played under Lampard again.
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Emerson became the back-up to new signing Ben Chilwell, and Alonso looked set to leave in January. That never happened, however, and once Lampard was sacked, and Thomas Tuchel was appointed as his replacement, Alonso was given a lifeline for his Chelsea career.
At the start of Tuchel's reign, Alonso's prowess as a wing-back became so valuable, and he began sharing left wing-back duties with Chilwell. The Englishman did, however, become sole first-choice in the final few weeks of the season.
But, over the summer things changed. While Chilwell was at the European Championships, and not playing a single minute, Alonso was on holiday. Then, when Chilwell began his holiday after the Euros, Alonso was back in pre-season training at Chelsea.
With Chilwell returning late, Alonso started the pre-season games on the left, and impressed thoroughly. Having not played since the Champions League final, Chilwell lacked match fitness, and his Spanish teammate was given the nod in the Super Cup Final, and the opener in the Premier League.
Alonso was excellent in both games, and even scored a free-kick against Crystal Palace to cement his place in the starting XI.
Chilwell didn't even play a minute until he came off the bench against Zenit St Petersburg on 14 September. His first start came just days later against Aston Villa in the cup, and after replacing Alonso at half-time against Juventus, he's not looked back.
He made his first Premier League appearance of the season in the win over Southampton, scoring an excellent volley, before he was selected by England to replace Reece James. Due to a lack of action, Chilwell actually missed out on the September internationals squad, something he has now rectified.
Like Chilwell, Alonso also found himself selected by his country, and he played 90 minutes as Spain beat Italy 2-1 in the Nations League semi-final.
However, unlike his Chelsea teammate, Alonso didn't score. On the other hand, Chilwell managed to bag his first senior England goal against Andorra to make it two in two for the left-back.
Has Chilwell done enough to displace Alonso?
While Alonso started the season well, Chilwell was needed off the bench against Juventus, and his two performances since then, one for Chelsea and one for England, have been excellent.
He provides more defensive solidity, with almost the same attacking threat, albeit with slightly less goal-scoring prowess. However, having scored in consecutive games, his confidence will be up, and who knows what could happen.
Chilwell is the better option, and Tuchel seems to know that as well, so it's does appear as though the Englishman has finally managed to displace Alonso once and for all.
The pair will still rotate, but Alonso will likely play against weaker opposition, with less defending required.
Both actually play in a similar fashion, and their underlying numbers show that, although Chilwell is more dynamic on the move, so no matter who is playing on the left for Chelsea, the system and style of play will remain the exact same.
Chilwell is the more reliable option, however, and thanks to his recent form, it's likely that it's now his shirt to lose, and Alonso will be relegated back to the bench.
