Ex-All Black Jeff Wilson questioned the Lions' decision to take off Ben Te'o during their 30-15 loss to New Zealand in Saturday's first Test at Eden Park.
Te'o enjoyed a fantastic battle with former rugby league foe Sonny Bill Williams but was replaced on 57 minutes following Rieko Ioane's first try.
Warren Gatland brought on Johnny Sexton with Owen Farrell moving to inside centre but Wilson, a 'double All Black' who represented his country in both rugby and cricket, felt the switch played into New Zealand's hands.
"You started seeing the best of Sonny Bill Williams when Te'o went off," Wilson told Sky Sports. "They were matching up and going after each other.
"It was a great match-up but once Te'o left, Sonny Bill starting getting a lot more open space to carry into. That created go-forward, momentum for the All Blacks."
Will Greenwood felt Gatland had to gamble following Ioane's 55th-minute try as the game was slipping away from the Lions.
"The game at that stage, with the Lions trailing 20-8 and the All Blacks starting to dominate, you have got to find some scores," he said.
"The best combination of handling that we've had in midfield is when Sexton and Farrell switch it around. The problem is that was against Super Rugby franchises, not the All Blacks.
"You start chasing against the All Blacks and you find yourself in trouble."
Wilson felt the Lions had the All Blacks under pressure for 50 minutes and will rue the try-scoring chances they squandered at the start of both halves.
"The All Blacks have shown for a long time that you need to play 80 minutes of football against them," he said.
"There was a moment just after half-time where the Lions had an opportunity to score and didn't, and they had all the momentum going into half-time as well. That's when the game slipped away."