Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso vs Juventus’ Alex Sandro – A Statistical Comparison
Antonio Conte managed to lift the league title in his first year in England but the second year is not proving to be as easy, as the manager is now desperate for some additions to his first team to compete with the best this season. This has seen him extensively scout Brazilian defensive beast Alex Sandro for more than a few months now.
A transfer target for the club even in the summer, Sandro is an important part of the squad at Juventus, who are not ready to sell him. But reports claim that Chelsea are ready to break the €70m barrier for his services.
Naturally a left-back, Sandro can play as a part of the back-3 but is expected to play in his natural position at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have Marcos Alonso as the only option for that role at the moment but how does the Spaniard compare to Juventus’ Brazilian?
With a goal and an assist to his name in just 360 minutes of Italian top flight football, Sandro has been effective in the final third, creating 4 chances, with 3 key passes to his name. Alonso has been a bit more productive, picking up 2 goals, creating 6 chances with 6 key passes to his name.
The Brazilian has been in decent form and has a pass accuracy of 89% which is astonishing, especially compared to just 78% by Alonso. However, with a successful take-on rate of 83.33%, Alonso has been more of an all-rounder, winning 1.66 tackles, 1.35 interceptions, 0.45 blocks and 4.67 clearances per 90 minutes in the English league this season.
Sandro, who wins 66.67% of his aerial duels compared to just 48.39% from Alonso, is under the Spaniard’s shadow in most other stats. With just 1.25 tackles, 1.50 interceptions, 0 blocks and 2.25 clearances per 90 minutes, Sandro lags behind Alonso in most stats.
The Chelsea man also makes just 1.05 fouls per game, compared to 2.25 per game by Sandro in the Serie A. Both players are 26 now and if Sandro moves to England, he will fight for one place in the starting XI at Chelsea.
Conte might prefer the Brazilian, thanks to his ability to stay more focused in his defensive duties but by no means is he an upgrade on Alonso.
However, to be fair to Alonso, if Sandro arrives at Chelsea, he must be made to fight for his place in Conte’s starting XI. The way Alonso has performed for Chelsea all the while, he deserves to keep his place and prove himself to the gaffer.