THOUGHTS - Feeling kinda down about the current Chelsea results. I have absolutely no issue giving Xabi, or any manager, time. But that's not really what this is about. My concern is where the project is right now. We NEED UCL next season, considering all the circumstances and the fact that we're now in year 5 of this project. The question is, are we good enough to finish top 5 while still building and learning Alonso's system? And to be clear, I'm NOT saying we should sack Alonso if we don't get UCL. Even if we finish in the Europa League, I'd still give him another season and continue with him. Again, this isn't about Xabi. My real worry is what happens if, after five years, we still don't make the UCL. Do players like Caicedo, Palmer, JP and Estevao stick around? Why would they? And no, it's deeper than "if they don't get UCL, the players are part of the problem" That's not how it works. Caicedo, JP, Palmer may end up being our best players and we might still not make UCL because it's a team sport and the rest need to do well. This project has honestly sucked the life out of me, and watching the way we're playing right now, combined with the fixture list after the international break, doesn't exactly fill me with confidence given some of the performances we've put in. Yes, I understand that it takes time to properly drill a new system. I'm just wondering whether the SDs have backed themselves into a corner here. Do they actually have the luxury of another season without UCL while also expecting to keep our best players if we fail to qualify again?