Tottenham: Spurs keys to topping Chelsea in Premier League clash
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur has already shown they can beat good teams topping Manchester City on matchday one, however, Spurs will need even more to top Chelsea.
Despite being only a single point apart in the table, there is currently a chasm between Tottenham and Chelsea. The Blues are resounding favorites heading into the London derby Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Tottenham coming in at +395 to win according to Wynnbet.com.
The team that Tottenham scrapped to draw in the preseason has only gotten better – adding Romelo Lukaku – while Spurs have gotten injured. Even with long odds and a banged-up squad Tottenham can take advantage of the derby atmosphere at home and still take all three points, here is how.
Tottenham need to get physical with Chelsea
Liverpool is the only team that has had real success against Chelsea this season, tying the Blues at Merseyside. That draw was added by a Reece James red card just before the half, allowing Liverpool to level on the subsequent penalty kick. Despite needing the penalty to even the match, Liverpool was taking things to Chelsea even before the red card.
The Reds took a play out of Spurs approach to Manchester City with a hard foul right at midfield only seconds into the half, setting the tone for a physical affair. Tottenham is going to have to use a similar approach to try and frustrate and agitate the Chelsea players.
This is especially true of the more flair and skill-reliant players like Mason Mount and Kai Havertz. who Spur needs to rough up a bit. No one needs to be injured, that is not the point, rather, it is about letting the opposition know nothing is going to be easy or free.
If Tottenham were at full strength, maybe you open things up and try to outplay Chelsea, however, given the limitation in the current squad, slowing the game down and turning it into more of a slugfest than a sprint is in Tottenham’s best interest.