Chelsea wide-man Marcos Alonso has admitted that boss Antonio Conte’s criticism of the team after the defeat at Crystal Palace was fair.
Conte made his feelings clear after the 2-1 loss to the struggling Eagles, saying none of his players emerged from the game with any credit.
Speaking at a news conference on the eve of Chelsea’s Champions League game against Roma, Alonso insisted his manager’s comments were justified.
“It’s the truth – it wasn’t our best game on Saturday and it’s a good call from him to motivate us and make us work hard to change things from the last performance,” said Alonso.
“Things didn’t go very well on Saturday. We had chances to win the game but it was not a good performance from the team. The only solution is to work hard and win the next game.”
Chelsea return to Premier League action against Watford on Saturday and cannot afford another slip-up after their defeats against Palace and Manchester City.
“We’ve lost a lot of points already and we cannot lose any more games,” Alonso said.
“Football changes very quickly – it’s a good chance tomorrow to build up again.
“I think we’ve got to think game by game and for now focus on the Champions League. Then we’ll have time to get ready for Watford on Saturday and the Premier League.”