Marcos Alonso sees fixture pile-up as Chelsea’s biggest obstacle ahead of Champions League clash in Baku

Marcos Alonso is well aware of Chelsea’s gruelling fixture schedule yet knows the worst is about to come.

Only Cesar Azpilicueta has played more than Alonso’s 1,466 minutes for the club this term. Alonso has started every match in the Premier League and the Champions League, with the only rest coming in the League Cup.

It is a contrast to his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge last term, when all the squad benefited from regular breaks due to no European football.

Chelsea’s form has fluctuated as they adjust to the greater demands. Their run of four League wins must be treated with caution because it was only three weeks ago they were outplayed by Roma in the Champions League.

Chelsea were also disappointing in defeats by Burnley, Manchester City and Crystal Palace.

Antonio Conte has rotated his first XI to handle the amount of games so it is no surprise they have struggled to be consistent. The problem is that starting with Qarabag in the Champions League tonight, Chelsea will play up to 21 fixtures in the next 74 days. That is based on them winning their League Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth to set up a two-legged semi-final and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Much has been made of the fact they have a round trip of nearly 5,000 miles to play Qarabag before taking on Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

The 2,470-mile trip to Baku required a six-hour flight and was the club’s longest-ever away trip in Europe, adding to the demands on the players.

Alonso told Standard Sport: “It is going to be a tough period now, not just this week. Everyone knows how the Christmas period is in England.

“We will have a game every three days between now and the start of February. Sometimes we will not be 100 per cent but each player has to help the team. We have to be well prepared and very focused. Is the fixture schedule Chelsea’s biggest obstacle this season? Yes, there are so many matches. We are getting kicks in games, we get tired, so recovery is very important.”

Conte relies on some players more than others and Alonso is in that category. The club’s failure to buy Alex Sandro from Juventus in the summer means that Kenedy is the only other left wing-back in the senior ranks. But Conte is not a fan of the Brazilian, who was sent home from the pre-season tour of the Far East after making offensive posts toward China on social media and has not travelled with the squad due to a muscular problem.

Alonso, therefore, has had to carry the burden and added: “It is hard for me because it is a difficult position. I do a lot of running so sometimes it is not easy. In some games, when I get the ball I am not as fresh as I would like.

“If there is any point I don’t feel I can help the team, I will tell the manager I’m tired. But I’m feeling good. I take the opportunity to rest when I can and work with the medical team to be 100 per cent for each game.”

Victory tonight will put Chelsea into the last 16 although Qarabag have improved since losing to the Blues in September.

After the defeat by Roma, the mood at Chelsea has been lifted by the performances against Manchester United and West Brom.

Alonso added: “Yes, we have been playing with a bit more of a smile. We are in a good moment after the win against United. That was a big one for us and has given us the confidence to keep winning.”

“We didn’t have much time to think about what we did at West Brom because of having this Champions League game a few days later.”

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