Alonso was an unused sub last season when a surprise 4-0 defeat at the Vitality Stadium ended what had been a 100 per cent record in top-flight away games there for the Blues, and he was not involved in December’s 1-0 loss to Eddie Howe’s team at Stamford Bridge either, but he has taken part in other setbacks against them in our stadium as well as those wins on the South Coast.‘Yes, there are good and bad memories,’ he confirms as he gets ready to play Bournemouth again.‘We know the kind of team they are, they like to counter-attack so we need to be ready for that. We didn’t have much time [to prepare for this game] but we know from the last few seasons we played against them that they can be a dangerous team against us, and we need to be ready for that and to have learned the lesson from previous years.’Alonso and Bournemouth brings back memories of one of his finest free-kicks which came in one of our best performances against the Cherries – a 3-1 win there in April 2017. It was the type of sweet striking of a football we have seen from him since he regained his place in the side this month, not least when he smashed the ball into the Tottenham net.

He hit the woodwork with a free-kick in that game too and bearing in mind the impact he had on the away game against Spurs in December and the crucial goals he has scored against them and against Arsenal over the years, what is it about a big London derby that brings out the attacking best from this defender?‘I don’t know,’ he responds. ‘I guess there is extra motivation when you play against one of the big teams from London but we need to approach all the games the same way. Maybe I am just lucky to have scored in those big games.’It is certainly a good way to ensure you are popular with Chelsea supporters. Turning his attention back to Bournemouth and the free-kick he scored there previously, he adds:‘As I said, good and bad memories and that was a very good game and it was an important goal. We got the three points that time and hopefully more of that tomorrow.

‘It is a very important period. We did well with that win against Tottenham and it was very important for the Premier League, but now we need to make that win even better with another one. That is what we have to aim for and we do everything to get the three points again.’Alonso worked hard to win back a starting place in the team and if selected again today on the South Coast, don’t rule him out from having an impact again when it comes to Chelsea seeking goals. After all, no other defender does it better.

‘It has to be like this,’ he says of putting in the effort to gain a place in the starting 11. ‘When I was younger I would have taken it another way but now I think the only way to convince a manager is by working and doing things on the pitch, and that is what I try.’

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