Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso got it completely wrong against Tottenham Hotspur. No one can deny that.

You can point the finger at Mike Penders for making a horrific mistake. On top of that, the young goalkeeper could have perhaps done better for Mathys Tel’s goal after conceding at his near post. But Alonso still has to take most of the blame here.

The Spaniard got his team selection and tactics wrong. That became evident to see as the first half went on.

A ruthless manager like Jose Mourinho would have been prepared to make a substitute in the first half, while other elite coaches would have perhaps tweaked the system. By half-time a competent manager would have done something. Yet Alonso did absolutely nothing until the 64th minute when he swapped a left-back for a right-back…

His biggest mistake, though, was not chucking on Romeo Lavia before then.

As an ex-midfield great, Xabi Alonso should have recognised Chelsea needed Romeo Lavia

Chelsea lost the midfield battle, it is as simple as that. Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson could not get anywhere near Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and James Maddison.

Chelsea finished the game with just 31% ball possession, which is embarrassing for a home side. In previous games, Caicedo and Henderson were able to control the game, but it was quite clear that they needed help this time around. It is hard to remember the last time Caicedo was played around like that.

With all of that in mind, Lavia would have been the perfect introduction. Given the type of game this was going to be, you could even argue that Lavia should have started.

The 22-year-old is the kind of midfielder who is happy to receive the ball anywhere on the pitch and has the skill to keep it. The Blues would have seen far more of it had he been on the pitch.

Alonso was a former midfielder and a very good one. The Chelsea manager was terrific on the ball and played in Spain’s legendary team, which was built on tiki-taka football. He, of all people, should understand the value of having a player of Lavia’s profile on the pitch, whether the Belgian is in a midfield two or three.

It was not the only thing that Alonso got wrong. The decision to start Morgan Rogers up front in the absence of Joao Pedro also backfired.

Rogers was not effective in the No.9 position. According to Sofascore, the England international took just one shot and only made 16 passes. What a waste of a £117m attacking midfielder.

Chelsea brought in Danny Welbeck over the summer, a Premier League-proven forward. It is these kinds of games the 35-year-old was signed for. He is meant to be Pedro’s deputy.

Rogers spoke highly of Pedro before the Tottenham defeat. Had the Brazilian and Lavia played, it could have been a completely different game.

Pedro was not an option because of his injury so could not feature, but Lavia was available. To not even hand him a minute was shocking from Alonso.