Another of Chelsea's form players in the second half of the campaign, Alex sat out the first three months of the season with a hernia injury.
When he returned to fitness he found regular central defensive pairing Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry in excellent form, and had to be patient , appearing just six times before the turn of the year, and only another five before March.
It was then that Carvalho began to struggle with his own fitness, and he would not play again after damaging ankle ligaments against Portsmouth in late March.
By then Alex had already turned in a number of eye-catching displays at centre-half, notably against Stoke in the FA Cup, where he made two last-ditch tackles and earned a nomination for the quarter-final player of the round award.
Terry himself admitted the Brazilian was giving manager Carlo Ancelotti a selection headache, which may well have eased slightly when Carvalho was ruled out, allowing the burly defender the run of games his form merited.
Excluded from Brazil squads for around 18 months, Alex was again left out as coach Dunga announced his World Cup squad. It was a decision that mystified many around Stamford Bridge.
In Alex's 25 appearances, Chelsea conceded only 14 times, the only one that could directly be attributed to the 27-year-old being against Burnley, where, off balance, he was uncharacteristically outmuscled by Steven Fletcher.
It was an isolated slip in an otherwise brilliant second half to the season, and having surpassed the 100-match mark against Bolton in April, Alex will be looking to kick on after the summer and make that place alongside the captain his own.
When he returned to fitness he found regular central defensive pairing Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry in excellent form, and had to be patient , appearing just six times before the turn of the year, and only another five before March.
It was then that Carvalho began to struggle with his own fitness, and he would not play again after damaging ankle ligaments against Portsmouth in late March.
By then Alex had already turned in a number of eye-catching displays at centre-half, notably against Stoke in the FA Cup, where he made two last-ditch tackles and earned a nomination for the quarter-final player of the round award.
Terry himself admitted the Brazilian was giving manager Carlo Ancelotti a selection headache, which may well have eased slightly when Carvalho was ruled out, allowing the burly defender the run of games his form merited.
Excluded from Brazil squads for around 18 months, Alex was again left out as coach Dunga announced his World Cup squad. It was a decision that mystified many around Stamford Bridge.
In Alex's 25 appearances, Chelsea conceded only 14 times, the only one that could directly be attributed to the 27-year-old being against Burnley, where, off balance, he was uncharacteristically outmuscled by Steven Fletcher.
It was an isolated slip in an otherwise brilliant second half to the season, and having surpassed the 100-match mark against Bolton in April, Alex will be looking to kick on after the summer and make that place alongside the captain his own.
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