According to a report by Metro on Saturday, October 24, 2026, former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has criticised Xabi Alonso’s team selection after the Blues suffered a disappointing 2-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham produced an impressive performance against their London rivals, securing a rare victory at Stamford Bridge and moving up to 12th place in the Premier League table.

Chelsea were without their leading goalscorer, Joao Pedro, who missed the encounter after picking up a knock. Alonso opted to start Geovany Quenda alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in attack instead of bringing Danny Welbeck into the starting lineup.

However, the Blues struggled to create meaningful attacking opportunities and failed to match Tottenham’s intensity throughout the match, delivering a disappointing performance in front of their home supporters.

Despite Chelsea’s difficulties in attack, Alonso waited until the 88th minute to introduce Welbeck, with the experienced forward coming on after Tottenham had already scored their second goal.

Sturridge questioned the decision to leave Welbeck on the bench, arguing that his experience and understanding of the game could have helped Chelsea perform better against their London rivals.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former England international openly criticised Alonso’s approach to the match.

"I think the manager got it wrong,” Sturridge said.

Although he acknowledged Quenda’s potential, Sturridge suggested that the teenager’s inclusion affected the team’s overall attacking structure, particularly the contributions of Palmer and Rogers.

“Quenda is a very good young player, make no mistake, but I think the way in which the team have played in the last couple of weeks, they were prepared to play with Joao Pedro,” he explained.

Sturridge argued that Chelsea had developed an attacking approach around Pedro’s ability to play as a central forward and that changing the setup disrupted the understanding between the attacking players.

He also highlighted Welbeck’s experience, suggesting that while the forward might not match Pedro’s pace and dynamism, his football intelligence could have provided Chelsea with a useful alternative.

“Is Welbeck as fast as him? No. Is he as dynamic? He isn’t. But what we know is he is a very good, very experienced football player who could have come in and done a job,” Sturridge added.

The pundit maintained that Welbeck should have started against Tottenham, leaving Alonso facing criticism over his team selection and tactical decisions following Chelsea’s disappointing defeat.