I felt like smashing the TV set during Champions League draw – Alonso

Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has admitted he “felt like smashing the TV set” while was watching the Champions League draw take place without his side in the competition.

The Blues have won the Premier League title in two out of the past four seasons but, in the campaigns following those wins, they have struggled to replicate their winning form.

Last season, a terrible run of results from the start of 2018 until April saw Chelsea win just three out of 11 games in the Premier League, a period which included a 3-0 humbling at home to Bournemouth.

Despite winning the FA Cup at the end of the season, then-manager Antonio Conte was eventually dismissed in the summer as the club finished fifth in the Premier League table.

That resulted in the London club qualifying for the Europa League, with Alonso saying missing out on Europe’s elite competition is something he and his teammates are very frustrated about.

He told Spanish radio station Onda Cero, via ESPN: “When you see the [Champions League] draw on TV, the groups and your team is not there, I felt like smashing the TV set.”

Alonso added that he hoped the Chelsea squad would use this as a learning experience for the future, saying: “I hope it’s a lesson for us to fight this year and compete for the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League.

“I think last season we deserved more and it’s a pity not to be in the competition this season.”

With a goal and two assists so far, the Spain international has been one of the key components to Chelsea’s strong start to the season under new manager Maurizio Sarri, in which they have won all of their opening four games.

Following the arrival of Sarri and return to a four-man defence, Alonso was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge over the summer – with Real Madrid and PSG both reportedly interested – but he was keen to dismiss that rumour.

“I never saw myself away from Chelsea this summer,” he added. “I’m very happy there. Unless the club had wanted to sell me, my wish was and has always been to stay.

“The day I retire from football I will return to Spain but right now I have three years left at Chelsea and I’m very happy there.”

Chelsea’s next game after the international break is against Cardiff City on September 15.

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