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Chelsea – Liverpool combined XI

By David Cambridge

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Adam Lallana of Liverpool and Eden Hazard of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Adam Lallana of Liverpool and Eden Hazard of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 22: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on January 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 22: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on January 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

Left midfield: Marcos Alonso

Former Sunderland and Bolton man Alonso was initially seen, by many observers, as a strange answer to Chelsea’s lack of numbers at the back, but at the halfway point, it’s difficult to name any Premier League player you’d sooner have marauding up and down your left flank. The Spaniard has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, and alongside Moses, is a fundamental part of Conte’s new system, which relies on wing backs getting forward to support the front three.

For Liverpool, left-back remains a position they are yet to really fill. It’s painfully apparent that neither Klopp nor the Anfield crowd have any faith in the once highly-rated Alberto Moreno after his disastrous performance in last season’s Europa League final against Sevilla.

Milner has deputised this season with some success, but a 31-year-old central midfielder isn’t exactly a long-term solution, and the Reds can ill-afford to mess around with their back four when they are leaking so many cheap goals.

Incidentally, a player like Alonso – one capable of delivering quality service, with the energy and desire to get up the field in support of counter attacks (and then back the other way when the opponents come forward) – is exactly the type Klopp would probably love to have in his own team. It speaks, once again, to the fact that there are bargains to be found, if you know where to look. Conte, with his background in Serie A, clearly did, and he’s been rewarded in the early part of the season.

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