There is a tacit agreement that every Chelsea manager, head coach or interim appointment must respect – you don’t lose to Tottenham.A London rivalry that had its first fixture in 1909, the mutual loathing really kicked off in 1967 when Spurs beat the Blues 2-1 in what was the first ever FA Cup final between two teams from the capital.Chelsea lost to Spurs at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League for just the second time in 35 seasonsGettyEight years later, Chelsea were relegated from the First Division soon after a 2-0 loss at White Hart Lane, whose residents avoided the drop by one point.But the power eventually shifted and the Kings of the King’s Road are top of their head-to-head table with 83 wins from 182 meetings, and the Lilywhites are on 56.Chelsea have dominated since the turn of the millennium having won 41 of 69 matches, though the most recent clash on Saturday was one to forget.Blues lose Bridge battleCole Palmer was sent off at Stamford Bridge as Spurs left with three points in a 2-0 victory, which is only their second away from home in the Premier League since it began in 1992.Overseeing a Chelsea performance lacking effort from players who seemed to be unaware of the occasion’s importance was manager Xabi Alonso, who made an error with his game plan before kick-off.Joao Pedro picked up an injury the day before and was replaced by Geovany Quenda, the 19-year-old starlet who has so much potential but struggled out wide on what was his first league start.Morgan Rogers appeared to be the focal point in attack whilst the natural striker Danny Welbeck sat on the bench until Spurs scored their second goal, by which time it was too late to make an impact.Chelsea had just 31.3 per cent of possession, a woeful amount of time on the ball for a team who were playing at home, and a total of seven shots that their visitors bettered by eight.During the full-time lap of applause, Levi Colwill was met with some choice words from supporters in the West Lower and encouraged to walk away from the fury by Welbeck.It was the club’s third Premier League defeat of the season and, even though they are fifth in the table and remain in the European race during Alonso’s opening weeks, some fans aren’t happy with him.Alonso got it wrong against their London rivals and missed an opportunity to go third in the Premier LeagueGettyA quick search on social media will present numerous posts calling for the Spaniard to be dismissed as manager.Some made the demand soon after the defeat to Spurs, and others believe anything but a win against a crisis-hit Manchester United this Saturday lunchtime, live on talkSPORT, is enough for the sack.Whilst those who follow Chelsea from afar and express their views via social media are absolutely entitled to do so, they can sometimes fall into the trap of rash discourse.Shock defeats, poor performances and questionable decisions are all catalysts for off the cuff outpourings that may be caught in clouds of emotion shortly after a full-time whistle has blown.This can also be the case in the stands at Stamford Bridge, with those shouting at Colwill a prime example, but Alonso will have the backing of a myriad of fans who frequent the SW6 stadium for matches.Again, those in the ‘Alonso out’ camp are certainly allowed to think in this way and communicate their opinions, yet a simple question must be asked for balance – what on earth would happen next?Chelsea fans were furious and Colwill (right) took some of the heat, with Alonso also facing some baffling calls for the sackGettyCalls for Alonso sacking are purely hastyFor a club who have made five permanent appointments in the head coach or manager role since BlueCo became custodians in May 2022, another change would further damage the fan-owner relations.Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September 2022 despite winning the Champions League a year prior, Graham Potter couldn’t make the step up from Brighton and ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino did not win over the fanbase.Whilst Enzo Maresca sabotaged the 2025/26 season by throwing his toys out the pram to eventually replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, his successor Liam Rosenior was out of his depth.Having finished in the bleak position of tenth, Chelsea were able to deliver a managerial coup with the hiring of Alonso.The World Cup winner with Spain and ex-Liverpool midfielder made waves in the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen as they won the 2023/24 title unbeaten, the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup.Winning one of the top five leagues in Europe cannot be overlooked, especially when there is not a single loss and the success comes in a first full season at senior management level.Alonso boasts a highly impressive win record across the three clubs he has managed, especially at MadridAlonso was rewarded with the job at Real Madrid, where he spent five seasons as a player but taking charge at the world’s biggest club is a huge leap and he left in January, despite winning 24 of 34 matches.A 71 per cent win record is nothing to scoff at, even if his exit came off the back of Madrid’s 3-2 Supercopa de Espana defeat to their bitter rivals Barcelona.Just two months have passed since they commenced their campaign and Alonso has developed a front three of Palmer, Rogers and Pedro into a strong attacking force with a combined 13 goals and ten assists.Chelsea are only two points outside the top four, and will be boosted towards a Champions League spot if City are to be given a massive points deduction for financial charges following their guilty verdict.However, let’s imagine a scenario where the club did decide to send Alonso packing for whatever reason – it’s difficult to argue that any realistic replacements are available.Pep Guardiola is taking a break from management and unlikely to be a candidate after spending a decade at rivals City, and Arne Slot won the league at Liverpool but had a poor title defence.Julian Nagelsmann is one of the top managers currently without a club, but has already rejected a move to ChelseaGettyGareth Southgate has dismissed future Premier League management after reaching two Euros finals with England, whilst ex-France boss and World Cup winner Didier Deschamps is also an implausible choice.Julian Nagelsmann turned down the Chelsea job in 2023 and is one of a number of options for United, whose targets to potentially replace Michael Carrick would most likely not come into the Blues’ thinking.Eddie Howe won the League Cup at Newcastle but is arguably a step down from Alonso, Antonio Conte left Chelsea on bad terms in 2018 and Fabian Hurzeler would be yet another hire from Brighton.Unai Emery has gained plaudits for his work at Aston Villa but is not likely to leave, and the same can be said for Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain, Hansi Flick at Barcelona and Jose Mourinho at Madrid.Whilst the options for Chelsea look slim given the aforementioned, yet hypothetical, names are unrealistic, various fans in the ‘Alonso out’ camp have pointed to Cesc Fabregas as the answer.Fabregas reunion is a no-goHe won two Premier League titles as a midfielder for the west London club from 2014 to 2019, and the ‘Fabregas is magic’ chant that takes aim at his ex-side Arsenal is still sung at the Bridge today.Fabregas has really impressed at Como and is likely to be linked with Chelsea in the future but, in the here and now, Alonso must be backedGettyNow at the beginning of his managerial career, the Spaniard is eyed as one for the future thanks to immense success with Como.Fabregas not only got them promoted to Serie A in 2024, 21 years after relegation from the Italian top flight, he masterminded their first ever qualification for the Champions League.After three games in their competition debut, Como are ninth in the league phase with two wins – 4-1 victories over RB Leipzig and United.Chelsea naming Fabregas as their manager is not a situation that is out of the realms of possibility, whilst his fellow former employers Arsenal and Barcelona are also potential destinations in the future.However, the 39-year-old is still relatively inexperienced and so, if he was to return to Chelsea and have a poor tenure in the dugout, then his popular reputation amongst the fans could be tarnished.Furthermore, the club will find themselves back at square one once again, an avoidable outcome that must also be shunned in the present day.Yes, Chelsea manager Alonso broke the tacit agreement and lost to Spurs, but relieving him of his duties so early on in his spell would be a real drop of the ball.