By Ewah Chika.

Antonio Conte's Chelsea might be flying high this season having beaten the likes of West Ham, Watford and Burnley, yet one thing clearly lacking in the team is the dearth of an attacking left-back since the exit of Ashley Cole in 2014. This is the reason Chelsea fans were elated with the news that Conte had signed Spanish and Fiorentina left-back Marcos Alonso Mendoza in the transfer window. The defender is deadly on set-piece, composed in attack with a top notch tackling and crossing ability coupled with his aerial presence. Marcos Alonso comes from a footballing family as the grandfather (Marcos Alonso Imaz) played eight years for Real Madrid, not excluding his father who played for both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. The defender also came through the ranks at Real Madrid before departing for Bolton in 2010, scoring four league goals before signing for Fiorentina after the relegation of Bolton in 2013.

Alonso is expected to quickly slot in at left-back, hence filling the gap created by the exit of the former Arsenal star's exit. Though Cesar Azpilicueta has been defensively solid at the back for Chelsea since making the position his birthright after he was switched to left-back by Jose Mourinho in 2014, the former Marseille and Osasuna defender has been a liability in attack as he has been made to play in a position that requires he uses his weaker left foot being a right footer. This has made It easy to defend against the Spaniard who rarely crosses with his left, instead preferring to cut inside, using his right foot to cross also leaving star man Eden Hazard isolated in attack. Consequently, this has left Chelsea one dimensional as they team attacks more on the right where Willian is helped by right-back Branislav Ivanovic.

Felipe Luis and Baba Rahman have all joined Chelsea at different times with little success which made the signing of Alonso a priority this season. To analyse the impact the former Fiorentina defender will have in Chelsea, it is important to focus on his stats in Seria A comparing it with the present Chelsea defenders.

Alonso seems a better player when it comes to ball playing as he completed 83% of his passes in 31 league games for Fiorentina last season (Seria A) which is an improvement on his 72% while in Sunderland in 2013 and also better than Cesar's 81%, although Baba Rahman matched Alonso's record last season. Alonso attempted 39 tackles last season which is significantly less than his 44 while in Sunderland and Cesar's 86 and Rahman's 39. This clearly shows that the defender isn't a type that loves to tackle which must be improved if he desires to flourish in Chelsea. On the other hand, Alonso lost only 39 tackles last season which is less than his 41 in Sunderland, Rahman's 41 and far less than Cesar's 76 . This explains that though he doesn't dive into tackles like Cesar, he surely wins most of his tackles once attempted, making him a far better tackler than his Chelsea team-mates. Alonso also created 43 chances last season which is more than half Cesar's 21 and Rahman's paltry three, buttressing his attacking instincts and traits which has seen him score four goals in 57 Seria A games for the Viola. In aerial duel, Alonso seems to be better than both Cesar and Rahman who averaged 52% and 38% respectively which is less than Alonso's 56% last season.

These stats clearly show how the left-back has progressed and developed since his Sunderland days where his performance was average. At 25, Alonso is expected to become better and also develop into one of the world's best left backs just like Cesar Azpilicueta stunned the world at Chelsea after arriving in Chelsea as an unknown right back from France in 2012. To be a success in Chelsea, Alonso has to improve his concentration as he sometimes losses concentration so easily. Alonso is also not blessed with pace which would be exposed if he doesn't improve on that. The defender has no trophy to show for his career so far having lost the League Cup final against Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City in 2014 while he was in Sunderland and Rafa Benitez's Napoli in the Coppa Italia.

Therefore judging from stats and In theory, it seems that Chelsea's £23 million signing from Fiorentina will flourish not only in the Premier League but also in Chelsea. Alonso is clearly the missing jigsaw in Conte's defence as his signing will finally allow Cesar Azpilicueta to switch to the right back position which is his natural position as Branislav Ivanovic has clearly been exposed by wingers and forwards with pace. Chelsea with Marcos Alonso and David Luiz have players most top clubs in Europe will dream to have in their squad.

Source

http://mailtelegraph..com.ng/2016/09/can-marcos-alonso-fill-void-left-by.html?m=1