Xabi Alonso showed exactly how he felt about the summer signing with a tough decision for Chelsea against Spurs.
Xabi Alonso’s choice not to pick Danny Welbeck for Chelsea’s game against Tottenham, especially after Joao Pedro got injured, caused some problems for the team at Stamford Bridge.
Pedro’s absence was a surprise since he was training on Friday and Alonso hadn’t mentioned any injury before the match. But just before the game, Alonso confirmed Pedro had a minor injury and said, “Right now, he’s got some swelling, so we need to run tests to see how bad it is. It’s disappointing, but we have to keep going.”
Pedro, who’s scored five goals in seven Premier League games, was a big loss for Chelsea against their London rivals. But instead of replacing him with a natural striker like Danny Welbeck, Alonso chose to play Geovany Quenda on the left wing for his first league start since joining from Sporting Lisbon. Cole Palmer stayed on the right wing, and Morgan Rogers, who usually plays behind the striker on the left, was played as a false nine.
Rogers isn’t a natural striker and doesn’t have the instincts needed for the role, which showed in the first half when Chelsea could have used a strong striker leading the attack. Many thought it was the perfect chance to give Welbeck his first league start since joining from Brighton, but Alonso left him out, suggesting he only plans to use Welbeck as a late substitute.
Fans felt Chelsea could have really used Welbeck’s physical presence up front in the first half. One fan said, “Alonso should have played with Welbeck since the game plan is still long balls. We aren’t fluid enough to play a false nine.” Another wrote, “Good idea to try Quenda, but he’s not right for this game. A Welbeck or a false nine like Estevao or Neto would be better.” Others added, “We need Welbeck for his physical presence in their box,” and, “This false nine never works. Just put Welbeck up top and give us a target man.”
Chelsea surprised many by signing 36-year-old Welbeck from Brighton this summer. He was seen as a great mentor for the young team. Another veteran, Jordan Henderson, was brought in for similar reasons but has started the last three league games and played brilliantly against Bournemouth, scoring two goals and assisting one.
Sadly, Alonso doesn’t see Welbeck in the same starter role, though he does value him. He praised Welbeck’s impact on the team after Welbeck scored against Luton Town in the Carabao Cup last month.
“He has many qualities,” Alonso said. “You can see how smart he is on the pitch. He links well with others, combines well outside the box, and inside the box, he’s very good at being in the right place. We saw that against Luton. Off the pitch, he’s a great influence. He trains hard every day and is raising the standards in training. That’s really important to us.”