Daniel Sturridge has criticised Xabi Alonso's decision to leave Danny Welbeck on the bench during Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, saying the manager "got it wrong."
Spurs secured a rare win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night, climbing to 12th place in the Premier League. Chelsea were without top scorer Joao Pedro, who was omitted from the squad after picking up a knock.
Instead of turning to Welbeck, Alonso handed Geovany Quenda his first Premier League start, lining him up alongside Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in attack. Chelsea struggled for fluency throughout and were well beaten by their London rivals.
Alonso's Selection Under Fire
Despite Chelsea looking off the pace and toothless up front, Alonso waited until the 88th minute to introduce Welbeck, doing so only after Tottenham's second goal.
Welbeck has served as Pedro's understudy since arriving from Brighton in the summer, and his omission surprised Sturridge. The former Chelsea striker believes the decision also affected Rogers and Palmer, arguing that Welbeck's presence and experience were needed.
"I think the manager got it wrong," Sturridge told Sky Sports. "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."
Impact on Chelsea's Attack
"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," Sturridge added.
"This season, having a focal point in Joao Pedro who is fantastic at that. 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. For me, Welbeck should have started today."
