End of term report: Marcos Alonso’s 2021/22

Marcos Alonso is the next member of the Chelsea squad to go under the microscope in our series reviewing each player’s 2021/22 campaign…

One of our longest-serving players, Alonso achieved some notable firsts in the season just gone. He added the Super Cup and the Club World Cup to his already extensive trophy collection, and captained Chelsea for the first time in a competitive game. In all, he made 46 appearances across six different competitions, underlining his importance to Thomas Tuchel, especially in the wake of the serious injury suffered by Ben Chilwell in November.

Bright beginning

Prior to that, at the start of the season, Tuchel described Chilwell as suffering from mental fatigue, handing Alonso the left wing-back berth for our opening six league fixtures, as well as the Super Cup triumph in Belfast. Alonso played the full two hours of that and converted his spot-kick, one of four successful penalties he took in shoot-outs in 2021/22.

The Spaniard then netted our maiden league goal of the campaign with a trademark free-kick, curled unerringly into the top corner against Crystal Palace. It epitomised a bright beginning for both Alonso and the Blues.

In our next home game, another 3-0 win, this time against Aston Villa, Alonso was handed the armband for the first time as a Chelsea player, reward for his long service. Regularly trusted with set-piece duty, Alonso then swung in the corner from which Thiago Silva headed us in front at Tottenham. It was one of six assists he registered in all competitions.

Busy at Christmas

Chilwell’s return to the fold meant Alonso had to settle for a watching brief for much of October and November, but he was soon back in the thick of it following the England international’s cruciate ligament injury. Alonso started 11 league games in a row over the hectic festive period, setting up goals against Leeds and Liverpool. As ever, his good fitness and availability proved invaluable with so many other Blues suffering from illness and injury, and he displayed his versatility by reverting to left-back as Tuchel temporarily favoured a four-man defence.

Prior to the Club World Cup success, in which Alonso played the semi-final, he netted the winner against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.

On our return to England from Abu Dhabi, Alonso enjoyed a decisive streak in the final third. He set up Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic’s late winners against London rivals Crystal Palace and West Ham respectively, and netted typically well-struck efforts in back-to-back away games at Southampton and Manchester United.

In between those, he was desperately unlucky to see his pinpoint finish at the Bernabeu, that looked to have put us ahead on aggregate against his old club Real Madrid, ruled out by VAR for the most innocuous of handballs.

He played every minute of our two marathon domestic cup finals against Liverpool, coming as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock in the FA Cup showpiece with a vicious inswinging free-kick that beat Alisson but rattled the crossbar. He did find the net in our next game, a 1-1 draw with Leicester, in what would prove his final appearance of his sixth campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Marcos Alonso 2021/22 Chelsea stats

Appearances: 46
Starts: 39
Substituted: 13
Unused sub: 10
Minutes played: 3,854
Goals: 5
Assists: 6

Marcos Alonso Premier League appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso played 28 games in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, coming off the bench for three of them.

Marcos Alonso Champions League appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso made eight appearances in the Champions League this season, six from the start.

Marcos Alonso FA Cup appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso played three times in the FA Cup this season, once from the bench.

Marcos Alonso Carabao Cup appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso made five appearances in the Carabao Cup this season, four from the start.

Marcos Alonso UEFA Super Cup appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso played all 120 minutes of the UEFA Super Cup.

Marcos Alonso FIFA Club World Cup appearances 2021/22

Marcos Alonso started the semi-final of the Club World Cup.

Marcos Alonso goals 2021/22

Marcos Alonso scored five goals for Chelsea in 2021/22, four in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup.

Important changes to the official Chelsea website from today

A new and improved version of the Chelsea website has been launched. You will find your favourite features, articles and videos with a brand new design and improvements to the user experience.

What’s new at launch?

Fans are able to enjoy not only a brand-new design but also new article formats and immersive image galleries. New, improved navigation makes the website easier to use and there is the benefit of performance enhancements too.

What’s coming ahead of the new season?

Follow the key action from every game in our improved Match Centre. Keep abreast of the scores from around the grounds in all Premier League matches with live league tables from all competitions. We will also have new player profiles with even more stats and information on your favourite players.

Delays to features due to government licence

The Official Supporters Clubs section will be temporarily unavailable.
This is a result of delays caused by the licence issued by the UK government prior to the change in ownership.

Resumption of services

Make sure to check back later for updates.

FA Youth Cup report: Nottingham Forest 3 Chelsea 1

Chelsea (3-4-3): Prince Adegoke; Brodie Hughes, Alfie Gilchrist (c), Dylan Williams; Silko Thomas, Jimi Tauriainen (Tudor Mendel-Idowu 90+1), Charlie Webster, Lewis Hall; Malik Mothersille (Derrick Abu 73), Ronnie Stutter (Leo Castledine 84), Jude Soonsup-Bell.

Unused subs: Ted Curd, Zain Silcott-Duberry, Billy Gee, Luke Badley-Morgan.
Scorer: Charlie Webster 61.

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Aaron Bolt; Zach Abbott, Kyle McAdam, Ben Hammond, Pharrell Johnson (Justin Hanks 77), Jamie McDonnell (c), Josh Powell, Sam Collins, Detlef Esapa-Osong, Jack Nadin (Jack Perkins 44), Dale Taylor.

Unused subs: Alex Akers, Ben Perry, Jack Thompson, Aaron Korpal, Joe Garnder.
Scorers: Dale Taylor 86; Detlef Esapa-Osong 90+1, 90+3 (p).
 

Chelsea line up vs Norwich

For Norwich, Billy Gilmour is ineligible. Christoph Zimmermann, Max Aarons, Ozan Kabak and Pierre Lees-Melou all come in.

Chelsea: Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Christensen; Azpilicueta (c), Jorginho, Kovacic, Saul; Mount, Havertz, Werner

Subs: Kepa, Rudiger, Sarr, Kenedy, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Vale, Ziyech, Lukaku

Norwich: Krul; Zimmermann, Hanley (c), Kabak; Aarons, Lees-Melou, Normann, McLean, Williams; Sargent, Pukki

Subs: Gunn, Gibson, Giannoulis, Dowell, Rupp, Placheta, Sorensen, Rashica, Rowe

The referee is Martin Atkinson.
 

Thiago Silva on sacrifices, football smartness and Kante’s significance

‘I run more from one side to the other, even as part of a back three, but often I win the ball back because these players put good pressure on the opponent in possession.’

Norwich are the league’s bottom side and were beaten 7-0 earlier in the season at Stamford Bridge. However, Thiago Silva is adamant league position and points matter little when preparing for a game in the Premier League.

‘It’s not like we motivate ourselves for specific opponents,’ he added. ‘Regardless of who we face, we’re motivated because we’re representing Chelsea, fighting to win trophies and win games.

‘We don’t look at our opponents to see how many points they’ve got or where they are in the league. Regardless of whether we’re playing them or Liverpool or Manchester City, we always think about working to win games. That’s our motivation and the approach we need to take.

‘It was the same for the FA Cup game recently [against Luton Town]. We faced a second-tier side who caused us a lot of problems so we don’t judge our opponents based on where they are in the league.’

Statement from Chelsea FC

By virtue of his 100 per cent ownership of Chelsea FC plc and affiliated entities, Chelsea FC would normally be subject to the same sanctions regime as Mr Abramovich. However, the UK Government has issued a general licence that permits Chelsea FC to continue certain activities.

We will fulfil our men’s and women’s team fixtures today against Norwich and West Ham, respectively, and intend to engage in discussions with the UK Government regarding the scope of the licence. This will include seeking permission for the licence to be amended in order to allow the Club to operate as normal as possible. We will also be seeking guidance from the UK Government on the impact of these measures on the Chelsea Foundation and its important work in our communities.

The Club will update further when it is appropriate to do so.

Second update on important Lille away ticket news

The ticket selling details, orginally published last week, are as follows: 

Lille (A)
UEFA Champions League round of 16
Wednesday 16 March 
Kick-off 8pm UK time (9pm Local time)

Ticket sales information

Tuesday 1 March from 10am until 5pm ONLINE ONLY: Supporters on the UEFA away scheme can purchase one ticket. Supporters on the scheme will be given 500 temporary loyalty points.

(Please note that due to shortness of time, supporters on the UEFA away scheme will not be removed if they do not purchase tickets for this fixture. However, supporters will be removed if they purchase and do not collect their ticket from the ticket collection point.)

Wednesday 2 March from 10am until 1pm ONLINE ONLY: Season ticket holders can purchase one ticket.

Wednesday 2 March from 2pm until 5pm ONLINE ONLY: Members can purchase one ticket.

Disabled Season Ticket Application Process
Disabled supporters can apply by telephone sale on the disability line 0371 811 2012 or international 0044 207 915 1950 or by downloading the away disabled ticket application form which can be found by clicking here.

Disabled supporters can submit this application form on the relevant sales period detailed above to access@chelseafc.com

Uncollected tickets
Supporters who fail to collect their tickets will not receive any loyalty points.
Uncollected tickets cannot be refunded or resold.

Allocation and stadium entry information
We have received an allocation of 2608 tickets which includes 6 wheelchair spaces & 6 personal assistant tickets. Ambulant tickets will be taken from the main allocation.

Only supporters who have had all three vaccinations will be permitted to enter the stadium. Proof must be shown at the turnstiles to gain entry which can be in the form of a QR code.

Lille have provided a second update today (28 February) relating to the second leg on 16 March. Supporters are advised to follow the link below whereby information on what vaccinations are required to enter the stadium is provided in more detail.

https://www.gouvernement.fr/actualite/le-pass-vaccinal-mode-d-emploi

Business season tickets or multiple season tickets in one name
Season tickets held in a business name (as determined by the Club) cannot purchase tickets for UEFA away matches.

Any season ticket holder who holds two or more season tickets in one name can only purchase one UEFA away match ticket.

Tickets purchased using season tickets in a business name or multiple names will have the ticket order refunded.

Collection Procedure
Once the fully completed declaration forms have been received a voucher will be emailed to the lead supporter who made the booking.

In order to collect the ticket each individual supporter will be required to bring with them in person the voucher and their valid passport. Please note copies of the passport will NOT be accepted and each supporter will need to visit the collection point in person. Tickets cannot be collected on behalf of other supporters.

Further details in relation to the location of the ticket collection point, along with match security and safety information, will be communicated to supporters by email as soon as possible.

Deadlines
Please note the following deadlines are in place for this match:

Declaration forms must arrive with the ticket office no later than 5pm on Friday 4 March.

Supporters who do not receive their voucher must contact the ticket office on Monday 14 March.

Tickets will go off sale at 12pm on Thursday 3 March.

Declaration form submission
Each supporter will need to fully complete a declaration form once the booking has been made.

The declaration form must be completed accurately including the passport number of the applicant.

Supporters who purchase two tickets or more in one transaction will be required to submit the application forms from that transaction at the same time.

Failure to comply with the above information will result in the declaration forms being returned without tickets issued.

Declaration forms can be submitted by clicking here.

Duplicate tickets
We regret to inform supporters there will be no duplicate tickets available for this match.

Loyalty points
Supporters will receive 5 (five) loyalty points for this match.

Official travel
Applications to travel on the official supporter coach are now closed.

Supporters will be confirmed in order, on a first come first served basis.

Sportsbreaks.com will inform supporters whether they have been successful for a place on the trip as soon possible.

Sportsbreaks.com will notify supporters of the ticket cost before taking payment and will distribute match tickets on the coach.

Ticket prices
Adults £37.50
Ambulant £37.50
Ambulant Personal Assistant £37.50
Wheelchair £37.50
Wheelchair Personal Assistant Free of Charge

A £2 administration fee will be added to each transaction

Refunds
We regret that match tickets once purchased cannot be refunded.

All ticket sales are subject to availability.

Match dates and ticket on-sale dates are subject to change. Please check the website for the latest information.

The Debrief: Havertz the creative key and three rocks at the back in close Wembley final

Of course, those statistics are slightly skewed by the fact that both teams did actually put the ball in the back of the net, only to see them ruled out for offside by a combination of referee Stuart Attwell and VAR, with Chelsea suffering that pain on no less than three occasions. That explains why Kai Havertz managed to beat goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher twice, but is listed as not having attempted a shot on the official statistics.

That inability of either team to take advantage of the chances they produced during the 120 minutes of football made it even more surprising when the complete opposite happened once the match went to a shoot-out. The first 21 spot-kicks all found the back of the net before Kepa Arrizabalaga became the unlucky man to see his effort miss the target.

With all 11 players from each team being called upon to take a penalty, including the goalkeepers, that makes it comfortably the longest competitive shoot-out ever involving Chelsea’s senior team, surpassing the UEFA Super Cup win over Villarreal earlier this season and the 2008 Champions League final defeat to Manchester United, which were both decided by the seventh penalty takers.