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Henry Winter of The Times Previews Tottenham vs Chelsea

By Alexander Balano

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 31: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea congratulates his players after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on December 31, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 31: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea congratulates his players after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on December 31, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) /
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Chief Football Writer of The Times, Henry Winter, gives his thoughts on both Tottenham and Chelsea’s season thus far as well as key match-ups to watch out for.

The last time these two London rivals squared off, Chelsea came from behind and won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. The blues would extend their winning streak from six straight Premier League wins to seven.

Tottenham on the other hand would suffer their first loss of the season. Losing to the likes of Chelsea is never a good feeling, however this loss has helped turn Spurs’ season around.

Prior to facing the league leaders, Spurs were suffering their worst stretch of the year from mid-October to the end of November. Through nine matches in all competitions, Mauricio Pochettino oversaw a squad that didn’t perform well and their record showed it.

During those nine fixtures, Spurs won once, drew four times and lost three times.

There’s no way to describe it other than Tottenham playing their worst football during the Mauricio Pochettino era. But as mentioned above, losing to Chelsea eventually was the last straw for this young team.

Since their last encounter, while the Blues continued to extend their winning streak in the Premier League to 13 wins, Spurs have gone on a little run of their own.

In their past six matches after getting knocked out of the League Cup and Champions League, Tottenham have won five games (four in a row) and lost only once.

You could say that October’s international break severely hurt Spurs’ momentum after beating Manchester City at White Hart Lane. Maybe injuries to Harry Kane, Toby Alderweireld and Érik Lamela played a part. Or, that the form of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and the rest weren’t up to standards.

Either way, the team didn’t play the kind of football that supporters have been accustomed to seeing since Pochettino took over two-and-a-half years ago.

Because both Chelsea and Tottenham are on a collision course with their respective winning streaks on the line, Henry Winter is expecting a huge game on Wednesday when the two teams wrap up their second and final league meeting of the season.

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To put things in perspective, Winter can see multiple match-ups unfolding everywhere on the pitch. From Chelsea’s three center-halves taking on Harry Kane and vice versa with Tottenham’s center-back pairing of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld going up against Diego Costa.

There’s also the wing-backs and full-backs from both sides and how they like to contribute on attack, but can also defend as well. Not to mention the goalkeepers too.

Though if Henry Winter is looking to see who can make the most impact, it’ll come down to both team’s bench options. Which player(s) can provide the spark needed to win the game late, or secure a dramatic draw?

“There are battles all over the pitch,” Henry Winter began (via Spurs’ official website). “The two goalkeepers – I really like Hugo Lloris, he’s fantastic, a man of character as well as great sporting ability.”

“Look at the wide areas, Chelsea’s wing-backs [Marcos] Alonso and [Victor] Moses, they are pretty quick and love getting forward but they are up against two of the fastest full-backs around in [Kyle] Walker and [Danny] Rose. Moses against Rose will be a great battle.”

“In midfield, the problem is Chelsea play with 12 players every week – [N’Golo] Kanté is like two players! He’s a better player now than he was at Leicester [City]. [Nemanja] Matić is back in form as well, so central midfield will be another huge battle.”

“Then of course, Harry Kane. He is effectively up against three centre-halves, but there will be space in there. It might come down to the two strikers. These are two strikers in form, Kane and [Diego] Costa. How do two of the best centre-halves in Europe in [Jan] Vertonghen and [Toby] Alderweireld deal with Costa?”

“If you pushed me and asked how it might be decided, it might be decided by players coming off the bench. It will be close, it will be intense and it will be one of the best games of the season.”

Not included in the battle of wits, surprisingly enough, are the two managers.

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Understandably, Antonio Conte has already gotten the best of Mauricio Pochettino in their first meeting this season. Though from Henry Winter’s own words, both men sound a little similar in how they manage their teams.

Tactically, they use different formations, and obviously they have different players at certain positions to help bring their ideas into the game. But man-management skills, they’re about equal as Winter points out.

“Conte has transformed them. Everyone talks about his tactics and the change 10 minutes into the second half at Arsenal [in September] when he went to [a] 3-5-2, but he’s also worked on their minds.” Henry Winter explains.

“I spoke to Ben Gibson [defender] at Middlesbrough and he said that Diego Costa has matured, he’s more measured, not winding people up or upsetting referees, he’s a far more disciplined and effective striker without losing that competitive, combative edge.”

“That is Conte’s man-management. That’s not purely a tactical thing, although it’s helped having Eden Hazard and Pedro closer to him, so he doesn’t feel as isolated.”

“You can see publicly how Conte gets the fans going, how he is in the technical area, that emotional jack-in-the-box. He’s an intelligent individual, as a lot of Italian coaches are, but also a very warm individual at all levels, from the likes of Costa to the cleaners at the training ground.”

And as for Mauricio Pochettino and how he handles his team and players?

“You have one of the best coaches in world football in Mauricio Pochettino and I say that both as a coach and a manager.” Winter continued.

“A friend of mine watched a coaching session when he was at Espanyol and he said the intensity was phenomenal. The players look fit, look sharp, look hungry and they obviously enjoy training and take his thought process from Enfield onto the pitch.”

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“Again, you have a very intelligent individual and a warm individual and you can see that with how he celebrates with the players.”

“I always look at body language when a player comes off and Pochettino always seems to choose the right time to say ‘well done’ or if the player needs to be left alone, he does that. He’s very astute.”