Marcos Alonso speaks out on Chelsea struggles, Conte & Real Madrid
The Spaniard joined the Blues in summer 2016 and has gone on to become one of the cornerstones of Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
"I'm a lucky player. I've been coached by [Vincenzo] Montella, then Paulo Sousa and now with Conte, who works phenomenally and is a great coach. I've had teammates like Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa who I've learned a lot from. Conte is a tough coach, who likes to work on both the physical and tactical aspect of play. When you train, you suffer, but you thank him on the field. Last season, we were champions so I don't think anyone complained about how much we ran."
The Spaniard is a product of Real Madrid academy as well as a huge fan of the La Liga giants: "Real Madrid has been my home for a long time – the former Fiorentina man said - and that hasn't been forgotten. I grew up there, met a lot of people and debuted with the first team. That's something that will always be special to me and I can't deny that. To debut in the first team there was a dream."
“[When I arrived at Chelsea] I struggled a little because I was used to playing with a four-man defence. But my goal is to help the team and the only difference really is that I can contribute more in attack. I like it and no matter where you play, you must be ready. This season is more complicated than the previous one. We have four competitions and, in addition, we don't have a very big squad which makes everything more difficult. But we have been winning games in the final minutes and the victory over Watford has boosted our morale for the upcoming games."