Will Marcos Alonso Be One Of The Best Defenders This Season?

Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”. The saying is quite true though some people might have other opinions. But what can’t be denied is how much importance a defence has in determining the team’s overall performance all across the season.

Teams like Juventus and Atletico Madrid have been the torchbearers of having a great defensive base that opposition teams find difficult to breach. Both teams have had great successes in their domestic leagues as well as in Europe, although the Turin giants are trying to shift their focus on developing a better balance between attack and defence with the recent acquisitions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.

Modern-day defenders not only guard their goal against attacking threats but also initiate attacking moves. The role of the modern fullbacks has changed drastically. Gone are the days when the back four used to maintain their shape even while attacking.

New age fullbacks like Marcelo and Dani Alves act more like wingers who overlap at every opportunity to provide crosses and an attacking threat in the opposition box.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at whether Marcos Alonso would be one of the best defenders to watch out for in the 2018-19 season:

A former Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers reject, Marcos Alonso has come a long way since those days. Starting out at Real Madrid Castilla, the Spanish full-back came under the spotlight with his performances for ACF Fiorentina in Italy that convinced Chelsea to fork out £24 million for his services.

The former Real Madrid academy graduate possesses natural attacking flair despite playing as a defender. Antonio Conte understood his skills and played him as the left wingback that somewhat limited his defensive contributions and maximized his attacking prowess.

As a result, the Spanish international chipped in with 14 goals in his last two seasons at Stamford Bridge. The left-back also possesses brilliant free kick attributes.

Marcos Alonso scored 7 times and provided 2 assists during the 2017/18 Premier League season, continuing from where he left off during the 2016/17 season.

Despite struggling against pacy attackers, Alonso has created a definite role for him at Stamford Bridge. With the more attacking Maurizio Sarri taking over at Chelsea, expect Alonso to improve even more.

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