Antonio Conte wants Chelsea star to build upon ‘great achievement’
The Chelsea manager challenges Marcos Alonso to continue his prolific run
Antonio Conte has challenged Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso to continue his prolific run following the left-back’s goal in their 2-0 win over Brighton on Boxing Day.
The defending Premier League champions returned to winning ways on Tuesday afternoon thanks to goals from Alonso and Alvaro Morata in the second half at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish defender glanced Cesc Fabregas’ cross into the net to score his fifth Premier League goal of the 2017-18 season to move Chelsea to within a point of second-placed Manchester United.
Alonso has also scored against Southampton, West Brom and Tottenham in the Premier League. Indeed, only Morata has netted more times in the Premier League than the former Fiorentina defender.
Speaking at his post-match media conference about Alonso’s impressive performances in the Chelsea team, Conte challenged the left-back to extend his prolific run ahead of their next Premier League outing against Stoke on Saturday.
“For Alonso to have scored five goals as a wing-back is a great achievement but it’s important for him to continue because it’s very important for us to have this alternative,” Conte said.
Alonso moved to Chelsea from Serie A side Fiorentina in the 2016 summer transfer window to bolster Conte’s options at back-up.
Chelsea won the Premier League title with two games to spare last term after finishing seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
The Blues are a point adrift of Manchester United in second place in the race to secure a top-four spot.
