Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso believes that his side must match Leeds United’s intensity to have any of chance of picking up a positive result from this weekend’s game at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will be aiming to get back to winning ways after the 3-3 draw against Zenit St Petersburg in midweek and the 3-2 defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League last Saturday.
Marco Alonso said: “I think the top teams have always performed well, but I think the mid-table clubs are getting better and better and it’s becoming very physical with the amount of games. There are no easy matches and you have to give 100% every week. That’s maybe a bigger challenge to how it was a few years back. As we know, the Premier League is the most competitive league in the world and that’s why not every player can cope with the league. As I’ve been saying, they’re a very physical side who mark man-to-man across the whole pitch. They are very strong and I said, we have to match the intensity and then hopefully with quality we have, we can hope out on top.”
Alonso has made 16 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring once and has recently been recalled to the starting XI following Chilwell’s long-term injury. The former Leicester City left-back is expected to be out until at least the New Year, which gives Alonso the opportunity to cement his place in the team.