Thomas Tuchel has admitted Marcos Alonso has asked to leave for Barcelona
(Picture: Getty Images)Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Marcos Alonso asked to be left out of the squad for Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
The Spain international wasn’t in the 20-man squad that travelled to Merseyside with Barcelona in talks to sign the left wing-back.
The Blues boss didn’t confirm whether Alonso will leave amid ongoing negotiations but he revealed that 31-year-old asked to not play against Frank Lampard’s side.
"That is the case, he tries to leave and we agreed to this switch, and that’s why it would have never made sense to have him on the pitch today. It’s the right thing to do," he explained briefly.
Alonso’s absence comes shortly after Chelsea signed Brighton’s Marc Cucurella for £62million on Friday.
The left-sided defender quickly went on to make his debut from the bench in Liverpool, with Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Conor Gallagher all also making their first appearances for the club.
Tuchel was happy to be boosted by a new crop of players following the recall of loanees and £165m being spent in the transfer market under the new Boehly-Clearlake ownership group.
However, there was concern about a lack of attacking threat from open play with Jorginho netting from the penalty spot in first half stoppage time.
"In general, it was maybe not the most exciting Premier League game in the history of the Premier League," he added. "Seven minutes of extra time in the first half, ten minutes in the second half tell the story. There were a lot of interruptions, no team could find a rhythm.
"Everton defended deep in the first half and we struggled with switching the play, we struggled to feel the moments to change speed. It seemed like we did not want to do a decisive mistake so we did not take the risk that is needed in the final 25 metres to open a space up.
"But in general it was ok. Second half we did not have enough movement on the ball and that created a lot of ball losses from which we suffered and the game was stuck in between the halves. It wasn’t in our half or their half. So in the first away match, you hang in and do what you need to keep a clean sheet and get the win.”
