Marcos Alonso has gone from hero to zero during his time at Chelsea and it looked like this season he was going to drift into the fringes at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish defender played a key role for the Blues during his first two years at the club after moving to Stamford Bridge in 2016, as he thrived in a left wing-back role and helped lift a Premier League title.
But his levels dipped considerably last season under Maurizio Sarri when asked to play a more traditional full-back role and his weaknesses defensively were exposed.
With new boss Frank Lampard favouring a back four this season, it seemed like Alonso’s days were numbered.
The 28-year-old has fallen behind teammate Emerson Palmieri in the pecking order at left-back and he’s received a lot of criticism from supporters over the last year.
But Emerson has been absent through a hamstring problem recently and it’s forced Lampard to turn to Alonso.
He has responded in perfect fashion to all the critics to rediscover his top form and he’s certainly not been a liability defensively in the backline.
Alonso was excellent in the 4-1 win away to Southampton at the weekend at St Mary’s and that caps a string of positive displays in the XI that has earned praise from fans.
His mini revival is certainly brilliant for the competition in the squad and it may have even given Lampard a headache moving forward, as it seems to pull him out of the firing line when he’s found his confidence again.
Emerson deserves to be the long-term solution, but even Alonso is feeling the positive effect of Lampard’s arrival and has cranked up competition.
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