Tottenham can't be lulled into complacency against Chelsea

Speculation abounds about just how many youngsters and peripheral names Antonio Conte will name in his Chelsea team for their match against Tottenham on Sunday.

Tottenham fans in particular delight in such speculation. Injuries to Eden Hazard, Pedro Rodríguez and new boy Tiemoue Bakayoko were compounded by red cards for Gary Cahill and Cesc Fàbregas last weekend. Chelsea look shockingly skeletal ahead of an important early season contest.

What’s worse — at least for Chelsea — they looked positively rattled against Burnley last Saturday. Playing with only 10 men after 13 minutes certainly didn’t help matters, but one might expect a tad more resiliency from the reigning Premier League champions.

Mauricio Pochettino, like any good manager, will know just how worthless first impressions are in football though. There’s little use in extrapolating meaning from any one match, much less the first match of the season.

Chelsea’s ranks aren’t as thin as they might appear either. Just yesterday it was reported that both Hazard and Bakayoko appeared in a closed-door friendly this week, suggesting that they might be fit enough to be named in Sunday’s matchday squad.

Losing Fàbregas to suspension might appear bad — until you realize that he didn’t start against Tottenham in three matches last season, and was unlikely to do so here if Bakayoko is indeed fit.

It’s harder to say that losing Cahill won’t hurt. The England international is the calm center of the storm at the base of Chelsea’s outfield, and it remains to be seen if Antonio Rüdiger is up to the task of replicating Cahill’s contribution.

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On the level though this isn’t a Chelsea team weakened sufficiently enough for Spurs to assume an easy victory. Yes, it’s better than it could be — but it’s still not going to be easy.

Chelsea, for one, will be able to call upon the services of Álvaro Morata. Though an argument could be made that £58 million is far too much for a player who has yet to exceed 16 league starts in a season, there’s no denying that the Spanish forward is good at what he does.

Especially if Hazard is fit enough to start, this could be huge trouble for Tottenham. Diego Costa is a great striker, but Spurs’ backline found a way to keep him and his rage in check for the most part last season.

Morata, in contrast, focuses less on antagonism and more on movement. He, Hazard and Marcos Alonso could thrive in space with Willian sneaking in clever passes.

All of which means that Spurs will need to be more conservative from the back all the way forward. High lines will leave far too much space in behind for Chelsea. With Toby Alderweireld and company dropping deeper than usual, the midfield will be less compact and more easily bisected. Finally, an attack that relies on movement and distribution from the center of the pitch might look isolated.

Next: Tottenham Lineup Predictor: Home vs Chelsea

Perhaps worst of all, Wembley’s pitch will look all the larger to Spurs if Chelsea lean on their pace and range to expand play. There’s a real risk of Tottenham’s worse fears about their temporary home coming true.

Pochettino will need to do his level best to manage expectations in his squad. This is a match that needs to be treated seriously, even if Chelsea appear in crisis at the moment.

Tottenham can’t be lulled into complacency against Chelsea

By Ryan Wrenn | Aug 19, 2017

Speculation abounds about just how many youngsters and peripheral names Antonio Conte will name in his Chelsea team for their match against Tottenham on Sunday.