His arrival at Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina on the final day of August was unheralded and his league debut a losing one, but Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso would go on to become one of the key Fantasy assets in the 2016/17 campaign.
The Spaniard was brought on in the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal back in September – the moment when Blues boss Antonio Conte first switched to a three-man defence with wing-backs.
Neither side nor player looked back from that point, and with 30 % of the votes, Alonso becomes the first of our three-man defence in the Team of the Season.
The Statistics
Alonso made his first league start in the 2-0 win over Hull City in Gameweek 7, when he was available for 5.9 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), down from his initial starting price of 6.0.
At that point, the Spaniard was owned by a mere 20,523 managers in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), but his performance at the KCOM Stadium provided an immediate indication of the attacking threat he would provide.
He registered five goal attempts against the Tigers – more than any other player involved – and also led the way for chances created (four).
That clean sheet was the first of six consecutive shut-outs for the new-look Chelsea backline, with Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill combining in central defence and Alonso and Victor Moses operating as wing-backs.
He registered his first attacking returns with an assist in the emphatic 4-0 win over Manchester United in Gameweek 9 and opened his account for his new club with a goal in the comprehensive 5-0 victory over Everton in Gameweek 11.
The wing-back produced his first double-figure haul that day, totalling 13 points.
Following that impressive performance, Alonso saw his price shoot up to 6.3 in FPL prior to the Gameweek 12 trip to Middlesbrough, with over 300,000 managers adopting him by that point.
Conte’s men put together another run of four successive clean sheets between Gameweeks 15 and 19, but it was in Gameweek 21 when Alonso produced one of the definitive performances of the season.
The defender scored twice in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Leicester City and, with what turned out to be his only maximum bonus point haul of the season, he provided a sensational 21-point return.
Although the clean sheets dried up during the second half of the season, Alonso registered a further three goals and two assists as his price climbed to 6.9 by Gameweek 38.
He ended the season as the joint-top scoring defender in FPL with six goals, while he also provided five assists, one behind the league-leading six from Spurs’ Kyle Walker.
He was also the second-highest scoring defender in FPL with 177 points – one behind team-mate Cahill – with Azpilicueta (170) completing an all-Chelsea top three.
Alonso did average 5.7 points per match (ppm) though, significantly better than Cahill (4.8) and Azpilicueta (4.5).
His underlying statistics were also outstanding, registering more goal attempts (46), shots from inside the box (25) and shots on target (16) than any other FPL defender.
Interestingly, Alonso didn’t fare that well when it came to bonus points, only managing 11 compared to 22 for Azpilicueta and 15 for Cahill.
In a nutshell, Alonso could not compete with that pair for clearances, blocks and interceptions (CBI), or completed passes – both factors which impacted on his Bonus Points System tallies.
The Prospects
Alonso will inevitably earn a price hike next season.
Many will no doubt ponder whether out-and-out wing-backs such as Alonso should be reclassified as midfielders, but a price tag of between 7.0 and 7.5 as a defender appears the most likely outcome.
The classification of Victor Moses could also affect Alonso’s stock.
If he’s also a defender next season, the Nigerian will surely be priced lower than Alonso, although his tally of three goals and three assists was inferior.
All of Chelsea’s defensive starters look set to rise in value, with a minimum price of 6.5 perhaps likely across the board.
With Champions League fixtures on the agenda, we perhaps need to assess Chelsea’s defensive assets with more caution.
Conte will look to strengthen his squad over the summer, with alternatives in the wing-back positions likely to be one of the priorities.
That will need monitoring, with the calibre of new acquisitions dictating whether Alonso could be a rotation risk.
But based on his performances this season, Alonso will surely be expected to remain the first-choice.
He could also justify a hefty price tag, with Conte likely to build the Blues’ title defence around the quest for clean sheets.
We will be keen to monitor Alonso’s early numbers to assess if there is any marked regression, but it’s doubtful whether that will make us wary of investment.
Should Chelsea’s opening fixtures bless them with a favourable start, Alonso will likely remain the go-to option for most, particularly if he is priced at just 0.5 more than his defensive team-mates.
