Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has explained his decision not to start Estevão Willian and Danny Welbeck in the Blues’ recent Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
The selection choices attracted attention following Chelsea’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge, with questions raised about the team selection and the attacking options available to the manager.
Alonso defended his approach, explaining that his starting line-up decisions are based on the squad’s preparations during the week and his assessment of the options available for each particular fixture.
The Chelsea boss said he considers the overall circumstances of every match before deciding which players are best suited to start.
“I assess all the options we have, what we have been preparing all the week, to choose the best team for each game. That was the case on Saturday and that is the case tomorrow,” Alonso explained.
His comments suggest that the decision to leave Estevão and Welbeck out of the starting line-up was part of his match-specific planning rather than an indication of their importance to the squad.
However, Chelsea’s defeat to Tottenham has intensified scrutiny of Alonso’s tactical decisions, with supporters and pundits debating whether different attacking selections could have produced a better result.
The Blues must now turn their attention to their Carabao Cup fourth-round meeting with Liverpool at Anfield, where Alonso will have another opportunity to make adjustments and guide his team back to winning ways.
With a demanding run of fixtures ahead, Chelsea will be hoping to respond positively and demonstrate greater attacking threat in their upcoming matches.