Forgotten man strikes
LONDON • Since last September, Marcos Alonso had been kicking his heels at home and flirting with other clubs eager to offer him an escape route.
Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard reportedly had a furious row with the Spain international after their 3-3 Premier League draw at West Bromwich Albion, blaming him for their defensive ills at the Hawthorns.
Alonso was subsequently frozen out of the team and he did not help his cause after he allegedly liked an Instagram post that depicted their 3-1 top-flight loss to Arsenal last month.
The 30-year-old had been expected to leave in the January transfer window, with Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus all reportedly interested in taking him on loan.
Then Lampard’s firing occurred last week. With his nemesis gone, Alonso was handed a clean slate by new boss Thomas Tuchel to make his first appearance in over four months against Burnley yesterday.
The left-back justified his inclusion in the starting line-up, producing a stunning late finish as dominant Chelsea earned a 2-0 win against a toothless Burnley side who had no shots on target at Stamford Bridge.
Compatriot Cesar Azpilicueta had earlier scored the first goal of the Tuchel era with another piece of magic, a thumping side-foot finish past Nick Pope from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s ball after racing from deep in his own half.
But Alonso topped that strike, controlling a Christian Pulisic cross on his chest before lashing a volley past the Burnley goalkeeper six minutes from time.
Tuchel, whose first game in the dugout was a frustrating stalemate against Wolves, was “very pleased” with his side’s improved performance, which lifts them up to seventh in the league, but still had a dig at his misfiring strike force, notably Timo Werner.
The German said: “It gives us confidence otherwise you have to convince players you’re on the right track. Defensively and offensively, it was very good. We controlled the match completely, never lost our intensity and awareness.”
Werner, a £47.5 million (S$86.4 million) blockbuster signing last summer, has now scored just one goal in his last 17 games in all competitions.
While the forward played the full 90 minutes after being left on the bench against Wolves, Tuchel hinted that he will not practise favouritism just because Werner and Kai Havertz, who was a substitute, come from the same country as him, and ultimately, form would dictate their selection.
“It should be a signal to our guys upfront that two defensive guys scored,” he said. “We will work on this because we had a lot of touches in the box, a lot of deliveries.
“But in the end, I couldn’t care less that we scored through Marcos and Azpi.”
Azpilicueta agreed the win was something to build on ahead of Thursday’s key league game at Tottenham, which will be a far better barometer of their top-four hopes.
“It was a good performance. We controlled the game, moved the ball, created chances, defended well,” the Spain defender added.
“It was a solid performance, a good start. We have to keep working and improving.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE