When Eden Hazard decided to stay at Chelsea this summer and with hopes of striking deadly partnerships upfront in Maurizio Sarri’s new attack-minded style, very few would have predicted it would be with a marauding defender flying from deep behind him.
The Belgium international had not started a game until the away trip to Newcastle United following his slow recovery from the summer holidays. But when he did, Chelsea became a new animal to deal with in this Premier League jungle.
Hazard has found an improbable new partner in attack and it’s not Willian or Pedro. Marcos Alonso has contributed strongly to Chelsea’s goals this season and in their first four games, he’s assisted three times and scored once.
Hazard assisted Alonso for the winning goal against Arsenal. Again it was Alonso’s penalty creation that gave Hazard the goal against Newcastle before Alonso appeared in the stat books again for his assist to Hazard against Bournemouth.
But look closely at his final deliveries in the final third and fans will realize that he is forming a deadly partnership with Hazard on the left of the Blues attack that will only grow to cause trouble for the opposition yet to face the new found possession-crazy side.
They have combined to produce goals for Chelsea in the first four games of the Premier League season and the signs are it’s just the beginning. In fact, Hazard reveals he has advised Alonso to stay back but the Spain international feels like the striker of the team.
Eden Hazard on Marcos Alonso –
"Sometimes, he is in front of me. I said to him once, 'Marcos, I think your first target is to defend, because you play left back', but this guy don't want to listen, he just wants to score goals." pic.twitter.com/xc9OqJi5GL
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) September 2, 2018
Alonso was deployed on the left wing back in a 3-5-2 formation where he emerged one of the best left backs in the Premier League. His restrained position as a full back in a 4-3-3 still does not stop the explosive full back from joining the attack and the results have proven, he is a worthy inclusion in Sarri’s attack whatever the system may be.
