Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Alex Sandro vs Marcos Alonso: Who should be Chelsea’s first choice left-wing-back?
With Italian newspaper reporting that Juventus’ Alex Sandro is nearing a £60 million move from Turin to west London, Antonio Conte could have a selection headache on his hands next season. Sandro has excelled in the left-wing-back role under Massimiliano Allegri, but Marcos Alonso has made a case for himself since arriving at Stamford Bridge last season, so who will get the nod next season?
It could easily be argued that Sandro has the greater quality given that his performances were an integral part of Juventus’ Serie A victory and run to the Champions League final. His accomplished performances against Italy and Europe’s best would indicate that he is more than capable of replacing Alonso in the Chelsea first team.
With pace down the flanks, the Brazilian is used to forwards cutting inside as Eden Hazard often does, having played with the likes of Pablo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic in front of him. Those forwards were far more used to playing in a central role and, as such, the 26-year-old is used to providing a valuable wide option in attack.
The ex-Porto full-back was also important defensively, with his pace, once again, an important feature in an ageing Italian defence. More than happy to drop back into a back five when required, Sandro is no stranger to the kind of formation that Antonio Conte employs at Chelsea.
In Alonso’s favour, though, Sandro does not have any Premier League experience to speak of. That could prove to be an important consideration, particularly early on in the season as he adapts to the physicality and pace of the Premier League.
[interaction id=”59538f67f2d4938713c373ca”]
However, there is also a case to be made for Marcos Alonso. The Spaniard impressed many with his form in his debut season after many laughed at his signing from Fiorentina late in the transfer window last summer.
With six goals and three assists, many of them from set pieces, Alonso showed himself to be a potent attacking threat down the left flank. Perfectly balancing his attacking and defensive responsibilities, Alonso allowed Eden Hazard the freedom to cut inside without being concerned about his defensive duties. The 26-year-old would often provide an option outside, on the overlap.
Defensively strong, too, it was no coincidence that in all five games he did not start since signing in the Premier League, the Blues failed to keep a clean sheet in a single one, with only one win from those five.
However, Alonso was one of several players who, at times, could be accused of looking tired towards the end of the season. A lack of consistency was also highlighted by that drop in fitness, and these are the kinds of issues that could be resolved by having greater competition in his potential new team-mate.
In truth, it seems likely that the two will be rotated throughout the season. Whilst Antonio Conte may have been able to stick with one first choice starting line-up throughout most of the season in 2016/17, the added distraction of the Champions League will make that impossible. In Alonso and Sandro, Conte has two of the best options in world football to fall back on, though Sandro’s quality may give him the edge in big games.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by .