Match Analysis : Tottenham 0–1 Chelsea
With one team struggling with their star forward, and the other struggling without, both teams set out to keep their problems behind them and earn the bragging rights for the much anticipated London Derby.
Chelsea, under their newly appointed boss Thomas Tuchel, started brightly and were dominant in the first half with 68% of the ball, but couldn’t create anything dangerous with all the possession they had. Spurs on the other hand, played with absolutely no intent in the first half. They offered almost nothing on the offensive end. Second half was much better for Spurs, but did little to trouble Mendy. Spurs would be kicking themselves having lost the game on that incident, but more so with such a lacklustre performance.
HOW THE TEAMS LINED UP
Spurs played a 4–2–3–1 with Vinicius up front, and Sissoko returning to holding midfield alongside Hojbjerg.
Lloris; Aurier, Dier, Alderweireld, Davies; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Son, Ndombele, Bergwijn; Vinicius.
Chelsea lined up in a 3–4–1–2 formation, and this seemed to perfectly counter Spurs’ offence. They attacked with a 5 and defended with a 5, with Reece James and Marcos Alonso occupying the wing back positions.
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount; Hudson-Odoi, Werner.
KEY INSIGHTS
- Mason Mount’s ability to find space. On multiple occasions, he intelligently crept his way through Spurs’ defence and found himself unmarked, as they were more focused on stopping Werner and Hudson-Odoi.
2. Azpilicueta putting in early crosses again, with Werner making runs inside the box. This has previously been so successful for Chelsea, with Morata being on the beneficiary end. This could work very well again, given Werner’s pace and Azpilicueta’s accuracy.
HOW CHELSEA KEPT SPURS AT BAY
The blues did not have to do much in the first half, as Spurs just sat back and were happy without the ball. But when they started piling up the pressure in the second half, Chelsea were solid and dealt with whatever was thrown at them.
With the 3 defenders at the back taking care of Son, Vinicius and Bergwijn, and the wing backs stopping overlapping runs from Spurs’ full backs, they had Tottenham on complete lockdown. What Spurs were missing was that creative spark in midfield, which someone like Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen would’ve provided. Harry Kane has taken up those duties now, dropping deep and turning into a provider for the lethal Heung Min Son, but now with Kane being injured, Spurs had no answer. His replacement, Vinicius had a wonderful chance inside the 6 yard box to level things up very late in the second half, heading wide from an Aurier cross.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:
So far so good for Thomas Tuchel. He has trusted the academy boys to do well, and it’s safe to say that they have matched if not exceeded his expectations. The future looks good for the blues, as the likes of Ziyech, Pulisic and Havertz haven’t been incorporated into the system yet. With Kante soon returning to full fitness, Chelsea could be a force to reckon with. Also, I personally think that Mason Mount will become elite under Thomas Tuchel.
As for Jose, he’d want Kane to return from injury as soon as possible. Neither Bergwijn nor Son, are used to being playmakers, and I would not be surprised if one of Lucas or Lamela start the next game for Spurs. They’ve now lost 3 in a row and would love to bounce back against a struggling West Bromwich Albion.