Former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has criticised manager Xabi Alonso for not starting Danny Welbeck in the Blues’ 2-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

According to a report by Metro on Saturday, October 24, 2026, Sturridge believes Alonso made a mistake by waiting until the final minutes of the match at Stamford Bridge before bringing Welbeck onto the pitch.

Tottenham claimed an important away victory over their London rivals, a result that moved them up to 12th position in the Premier League standings.

Chelsea went into the encounter without their top goalscorer, Joao Pedro, who was left out of the squad after suffering a minor injury. However, instead of giving Welbeck a starting role, Alonso opted to start Geovany Quenda for his first Premier League appearance in the starting line-up. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers joined the youngster in Chelsea’s attacking trio.

The tactical decision proved ineffective, as Chelsea struggled to create meaningful scoring chances and lacked coordination in the final third throughout the game.

Alonso eventually brought Welbeck on in the 88th minute, by which time Tottenham had already doubled their advantage. The late substitution gave the experienced striker very little opportunity to help Chelsea recover from the deficit.

Sturridge argued that Alonso’s decision to change the team’s attacking arrangement negatively affected Palmer and Rogers, who had become familiar with playing alongside Pedro.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England international expressed his disappointment with the manager’s selection, stating that Alonso had made the wrong call.

Although Sturridge acknowledged Quenda’s quality and potential as a young footballer, he questioned whether the decision to change Chelsea’s established attacking approach was appropriate for such a crucial match.

He explained that Chelsea had developed a particular style of play in recent weeks with Pedro leading the attack, suggesting that his absence should not have prompted such a significant adjustment to the team’s attacking structure.

Sturridge further noted that Pedro’s unavailability appeared to disrupt Chelsea’s attacking rhythm and affected the effectiveness of the other forwards.

The former striker also highlighted Welbeck’s experience and ability to serve as a central attacking reference point. While admitting that Welbeck may not offer the same speed and explosiveness as Pedro, he maintained that the veteran forward could have provided a more suitable option against Tottenham.

Welbeck joined Chelsea from Brighton during the summer transfer window and has since served as an alternative to Pedro in the attacking position.

Sturridge believes Welbeck’s experience and playing style made him a better candidate to start the encounter, especially considering Pedro’s absence and Chelsea’s need for a reliable attacking presence.

He concluded by insisting that Alonso should have included the experienced forward in his starting line-up, saying that Welbeck deserved to start the match.