Tottenham Man of the Match: Mousa Dembélé

Tottenham walked away from their first Premier League match at Wembley stadium with a 2-1 loss to Chelsea, but it wasn’t a performance without merit.

Several regulars shined throughout the 90 minutes, but there was one man who most embodied Tottenham’s fight on the day: Mousa Dembélé.

The Belgian featured in his usual role in the center of the pitch but with a key twist. With both Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier assisting him in midfield, he was free to be just that much more adventurous in possession.

The high point of this increased freedom came with his shot just above the crossbar near the end of the first half, but Dembélé’s talent has never been goals or assists.

Rather, he is an expert in advancing possession. Unlike Christian Eriksen — who was smothered for much of the game by David Luiz — his efforts to this end aren’t a matter of weaving passes or balls chipped over the top.

They come instead from an uncanny ability to retain possession even under pressure. Dembélé combined fantastic ball control with a level of physicality that makes it hard for opposition midfielders and defenders to simply shove him away.

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As we covered in our match report, this trait of Dembélé’s was actually on display across the team on Sunday. It seems clear that Mauricio Pochettino emphasized ball control and first touch in training, if only to better prepare his team for matches where the opposition might press aggressively.

Even as his teammates mimicked him up and down the pitch, Dembélé still stood out. He was Spurs’ most reliable route through Chelsea’s densely packed midfield, especially with Eriksen occupied as much as he was.

Dembélé’s influence also came out of possession, where his additional support from Wanyama and Dier didn’t mean that he still didn’t attempt reclaim the ball at every opportunity.

Chelsea’s layered and well-organized defense made quick transitions tricky however, so Dembélé was unable to indirectly create many chances from the balls he reclaimed. Nevertheless, the tireless maestro was irresistible throughout the 90 minutes.

Next: Tottenham Match Report: 2-1 loss to Chelsea

If one wants to salvage something in Spurs’ deflating loss, it would have to be Dembélé. At 30-years-old, the Belgian’s days are numbered. Any fears that existed in preseason about his ability to sustain the fine form of the previous two seasons were clearly baseless however. Against Newcastle last week and Chelsea this week, Dembélé has proved that he remains the beating heart of this Tottenham side.