Marcos Alonso has aimed a fresh dig at Frank Lampard after claiming Chelsea took a huge ‘tactical’ step forward once Thomas Tuchel was appointed as head coach.
Club legend Lampard was sacked last January after a poor run of results which culminated in him losing the dressing room with some senior players voicing their disatifaction.
Italy midfielder Jorginho was among Lampard’s fiercest critics, but Marcos Alonso was totally frozen out by the club legend after a 3-3 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
The decision to hire Tuchel, however, revived the fortunes of both Chelsea and Alonso who has rivalled Ben Chilwell for the position of the club’s left-back this campaign, with the England star’s injury offering him a route back into the team.
And Spanish defender has revealed how Tuchel picked up the pieces and guided them to European glory, saying in an interview with Spanish outlet AS: ‘We were a very balanced team. In these close qualifiers, the little details make the difference.
‘We were a team in every way. We defended very well, we were an uncomfortable team to play with, we defended all eleven and the small details made the difference. ‘At this point in the Champions League everything is very even and it depends on very small details.’
Reports, meanwhile, suggested Lampard was furious with Alonso for leaving the Hawthorns after he was dragged off at the break with his team trailing 3-0.
But Alonso said this year: ‘I was not happy, of course, with how the game went and everything, but it was not any intention to do that (storm out).
‘I spoke to my team-mates straight afterwards, if someone felt offended or something. But everyone was OK.
‘The manager didn’t take it well but I explained everything that happened. He thought I left before the end of the game but I told him no.’
