“It would make no sense to put him on the pitch today” – Thomas Tuchel explains Chelsea star’s absence in Everton win
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has stated that Marcos Alonso didn't feature against Everton on Saturday (August 6) as he is on the cusp of leaving the club.
The Blues started their 2022-23 Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park, with Jorginho scoring the only goal of the game via a first-half injury-time penalty.
Alonso, who has been heavily linked (via Fabrizio Romano) with a move to Barcelona this summer, wasn't part of Chelsea's matchday squad. Tuchel admitted after the game that the versatile defender wants to leave Stamford Bridge, with the club granting him his wish.
When asked about Alonso's absence on Merseyside, Tuchel told the press (via Chelsea):
"He asked to leave and we agreed to his wish. That is why it would not have made sense to put him on the pitch."
Alonso joined Chelsea from Fiorentina in 2016 and quickly became a pivotal player for the club over the years. However, with Barcelona interested in signing the defender, the Blues hierarchy have agreed to his exit from the club.
Chelsea notably renewed Cesar Azpilicueta's contract, while also signing Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella to shore up their defense this summer. Earlier in the summer, centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club on free transfers.
"We struggled a bit" - Thomas Tuchel discusses Chelsea's defense against Everton
While they took home three points, the win was not impressive, at least by Tuchel's standards. The German tactician was not pleased with his side scoring just one goal. He was also concerned about the defense.
Speaking to the press after the game (via SuperSport), Tuchel said:
"All three of our players in the back three are in their 30s and we struggled a bit in general at the end of the game. We need to improve our physical level and we are on it."
Although Tuchel felt the Blues could have defended better towards the end of the game, Everton could only manage just four shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes.