Marcos Alonso said Chelsea players now know “what to do” and “where to be” on the pitch under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
Marcos Alonso seal Tuchel’s first win at Chelsea with a well-struck finish following Cesar Azpilicueta’s first-half opener in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Burnley.
Similar to Callum Hudson-Odoi on the other side of the pitch, Alonso was given the licence to stay forward against Burnley’s low-block defence.
With an extra defender behind him, Alonso clearly had an easy ride defensively, making just one tackle and three clearances throughout the game.
But he insisted that Tuchel’s clear instructions played an even bigger role than the formation.
“I have more freedom to attack because we are better covered for defending, but it’s not about the system,” the defender told Chelsea’s official website.
“When we play more organised, all together, knowing what to do and where to be on the pitch then this team has great potential to achieve big things.
“We have a long way until the end of the season to show that and prove we deserve a better position in the table than where we are now but we have to fight for it.”
Chronicle view
It is very interesting that some of Tuchel’s rather bold decisions, such as playing Alonso ahead of Chilwell and Hudson-Odoi ahead of Reece James, have worked really well so far.
Chelsea have also yet to concede a shot on target from the two games under Tuchel despite his very attacking 3-4-3 system.
The real test will come this Thursday, though, in an away trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
Because compared to Wolves and Burnley, Jose Mourinho’s side certainly has more quality up front to hurt Chelsea with their counter-attacks.
