Marcos Alonso Admits Chelsea Must Now 'Wait for Others to Lose' in Race for Top 4
Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso has admitted that the club's prospects of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League next season look bleak after Sunday's humbling 3-1 home defeat against Tottenham left the reigning champions eight points off the pace in fifth.
Chelsea could have cut the gap to just two points had they won, but a first Spurs victory at Stamford Bridge since 1990 left Alonso acknowledging they must now 'wait for others to lose' if there is to be any hope of clawing their way back.
"It was a must-win and we are very disappointed," the Spaniard told BBC Sport afterwards.
"We have to fight to the end and see what happens. Winning the last seven games has to be the target and we have to wait for others to lose."
Alonso also admitted that 'luck' hasn't gone in Chelsea's favour this season in quite the same way that it did during the 2016/17 title winning campaign.
"I don't think we have had the same luck as last year. Other teams have improved and we don’t have the consistency. It is what it is. We have to stand up now and fight until the end," he said.
Chelsea's next two Premier League games are against West Ham (home) and Southampton (away), both of whom are fighting at the wrong end of the table. They then face a tricky trip to Burnley, before a second meeting in a week with Southampton for an FA Cup semi final.
After elimination from the Champions League last month, the cup is Antonio Conte's last chance to end his second season at the club with a trophy.
