According to a report by Metro on October 24, 2026, the former Chelsea striker believes Alonso got his team selection wrong after leaving Welbeck on the bench despite the absence of top scorer Joao Pedro, who missed the London derby after picking up a knock.

Tottenham secured a memorable 2-0 victory over their London rivals, delivering a disappointing result for Chelsea on their home ground. The defeat also highlighted the Blues’ attacking struggles, as Alonso’s side failed to find the necessary rhythm against a well-organised Spurs team.

With Joao Pedro unavailable, Alonso opted to hand Geovany Quenda his first Premier League start, placing the youngster alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in attack. However, Chelsea struggled to create clear opportunities and lacked the attacking fluidity they had demonstrated in previous matches.

Despite his team’s difficulties in the final third, Alonso waited until the 88th minute to introduce Welbeck, bringing the experienced forward on after Tottenham had scored their second goal.

Sturridge was surprised by the decision and argued that Welbeck’s presence from the beginning could have helped Chelsea’s attacking players perform more effectively.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England international said: “I think the manager got it wrong.”

Sturridge acknowledged Quenda’s potential but suggested that Chelsea’s attacking structure had been affected by the absence of Joao Pedro, who has played an important role as the team’s focal point this season.

“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.

“He doesn’t start and it seems like it made the whole formation change. Because of that, for Palmer and Rogers, that has an impact on their way of playing for Chelsea.”

The former Chelsea forward believes Welbeck could have offered the team a different attacking option, particularly through his experience, movement and ability to link up with his teammates.

Although Sturridge admitted that Welbeck does not possess the same pace and dynamism as Joao Pedro, he insisted that the experienced striker could still have made a significant contribution.

“This season, having a focal point in Joao Pedro, who is fantastic at that,” Sturridge said.

“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 concluded by making his position clear, adding: “For me, Welbeck should have started today.”