In Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Lille, Marcos Alonso struggled to keep his head above water, clinging to his teammates as the Blues cruised into the Champions League quarter-finals. Despite being labeled a specialist by Thomas Tuchel, the 31-year-old succumbed to the waves of Les Dogues’ pressure, exposing himself – once again – as the gap in the Blues’ defense.
Chelsea were pinned back against the wall with less than five minutes remaining, and Alonso was spun inside out by Lille defender Tiago Djaló. The flat-footed defending of the Spain international opened up an avenue of attack for his opponents, and had it not been for reinforcements, Lille could’ve mounted a late comeback.
Alonso’s embarrassing moment typified what had been a shaky night.
Alonso’s embarrassment typified a shaky night to forget in which the intimidating atmosphere of Stade Pierre-Mauroy took the defender prisoner. Tuchel can no longer rely on the Spaniard to maintain an elite level of focus or consistency, despite flashes of brilliance at Chelsea since joining Fiorentina in 2016 for £24 million.
The west London club is bound by the UK Government’s approval of Roman Abramovich’s ownership until a new owner takes over at Stamford Bridge. Tuchel must look within the club for Ben Chilwell’s replacement, and the German manager must emulate Jurgen Klopp’s strategy of throwing a youngster into the deep end, which transformed Trent Alexander-Arnold into one of the world’s best players.
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Cobham has both Lewis Hall and Dylan Williams, the latter of whom is a more natural left wing-back, as potential replacements for Alexander-Arnold. Tuchel must transfer his eggs from Alonso’s basket to theirs.
Hall, who made his Chelsea debut against Chesterfield in January, has frequently played in the left channels, whether as a left centre-half of a three, a full-back, or a centre-midfielder. Williams, on the other hand, moved from Pride Park to Stamford Bridge in January and has yet to make a senior appearance for the Blues.
Despite this, the 18-year-old Derby County midfielder has played more minutes in men’s football, having appeared nine times under Wayne Rooney. On the left wing, Williams is a more natural player.
