Yes, Spurs Can Beat Chelsea..

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This week I have felt as if I am the only person on the planet going into our game against Chelsea with some confidence that we are going in as favourites. This is not the same Chelsea that has given us nightmares over the last 8 seasons; these are two sides that have been mostly refreshed and will not have the lurking trauma and history of this fixture. I also feel that the Chelsea players will be focused on their cup final on Wednesday. To win this match, I think Spurs can win if they can press hard and outwork this Chelsea side. If we can force them into an early mistake and shift their atmosphere to one of despondency, the win is there for the taking.

COYS, Lets take it to them!

– Jim

What a topsy-turvy game. The team came out pretty strong, fielding an unchanged starting XI from Villa. Players were pressing and creating forward-moving chances, but were unable to find the net in the first half. Also, Mathys Tel was both the hero and the villain of the day; his first half performance left a lot to be desired (that cross across our own box was enough to make every Spurs fan choke on air) as he struggled to take on his man and seemed a bit slow on the release. It almost seemed as if he was 0.5 seconds slower in his reaction times. Not that it mattered – you could excuse that for his wonderful goal he scored in the second half. Similar to Gallagher’s goal against Villa, this too came from a corner kick and was brought down with a superb first touch and a cracking finish.

However, it all fell apart after the 50th minute. The press seemed to stagnate and it allowed Leeds to up their ante. All of a sudden we looked back to the “old” Tottenham of this season – passive, a bit lost, and rushing the balls out. After Tel gave away a rather ridiculous penalty by trying to clear a ball via an overhead kick, it seemed that all wind blew out of our sails. If Kinsky hadn’t been on his A-game we probably would’ve lost the match. As Longstaff blasted a ball at Kinsky’s near-post the Czech goalkeeper made an incredible reflex save which meant the ball rattled the crossbar and not the back of the net. Kinsky also had a great save in the first half when a header came towards his far post and he managed to scoop it out.

All in all, 1-1 at home is a tale as old as time. Our home form has been terrible, but Kinsky has kept us in this battle yet. With Chelsea away next week, we can only pray he continues to start for us and that the other players recall performances from Villa.

Predicted lineup
Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palinha; Gallagher, Muani, Tel; Richarlison. 

With injuries still limiting De Zerbi’s options, Spurs are likely to stick with the aggressive transition-based shape that’s delivered seven points from the last four matches.