pFormer Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge has criticised manager Xabi Alonso for leaving Danny Welbeck out of the starting line-up in the Blues' 2-0 Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

In a Metro report dated Saturday, October 24, 2026, Sturridge says Alonso erred by waiting until the closing minutes of the Stamford Bridge match to send Welbeck on.

Tottenham secured a valuable away win against their London rivals, a result that lifted them to 12th place in the Premier League table.

Chelsea entered the match without top scorer Joao Pedro, who was omitted from the squad after picking up a minor injury. Yet rather than hand Welbeck a starting spot, Alonso chose to start Geovany Quenda for his first Premier League start. Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers completed Chelsea's attacking trio alongside the youngster.

The tactical choice did not pay off, as Chelsea found it hard to craft meaningful scoring chances and lacked cohesion in the final third for much of the game.

Alonso finally introduced Welbeck in the 88th minute, by which point Tottenham had already doubled their lead. The late change left the experienced striker with very little time to help Chelsea claw back the deficit.

Sturridge contended that Alonso's decision to reshuffle the attack had a negative effect on Palmer and Rogers, who had grown accustomed to playing alongside Pedro.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England international voiced his disappointment with the manager's selection, saying Alonso had got it wrong.

While Sturridge recognised Quenda's quality and promise as a young player, he questioned whether altering Chelsea's established attacking approach was wise for such a pivotal match.

He noted that Chelsea had built a distinct way of playing in recent weeks with Pedro leading the line, arguing that his absence should not have triggered such a major change to the team's attacking structure.

Sturridge added that Pedro's unavailability seemed to unsettle Chelsea's attacking rhythm and diminish the effectiveness of the other forwards.

The former striker also pointed to Welbeck's experience and his ability to act as a central attacking reference point. Though he conceded that Welbeck may lack Pedro's pace and explosiveness, he insisted the veteran forward could have offered a more fitting option against Tottenham.

Welbeck arrived at Chelsea from Brighton during the summer transfer window and has since been used as an alternative to Pedro in the attacking role.

Sturridge feels Welbeck's experience and style of play made him the better choice to start the match, particularly given Pedro's absence and Chelsea's need for a dependable attacking presence.

He finished by maintaining that Alonso should have put the experienced forward in his starting line-up, saying Welbeck deserved to start the game.