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.
Tottenham need to man-mark Lukaku and Kovacic
In basketball when teams have a player or two who are just difficult to stop, sometimes the answer is a gimmick defence like the triangle and two or the box and one. The two and the one in each alignment play man-to-man defence against their counterparts, while the rest of the team plays either the triangle or box zone.
Given Tottenham are not at full strength, they are going to have to get creative in defending Chelsea, and looking to stop the Blues’ two most influential players may be the best way. Mateo Kovacic and Romelolu Lukaku have been the real driving force behind Chelsea this season.
Yes, Marcos Alonzo and Reece James are playing really well too but it is Kovacic who is most often fizzing the ball wide to the two men to get it back into the box for service. Likewise, while both Mount and Havertz have been playing well, it is a lot easier for them to play off of the talents of Lukaku and his hold-up game.
What Spurs fans saw Tanguy Ndombele do in terms of holding the ball against Rennes on Thursday is what Lukaku does regularly, against any defender in the world, not much more than 20 yards from goal.
Kovacic likes to dribble out of the back and look for long balls. He hit Lukaku with a beauty in the win over Aston Villa for the Blues’ opening goal. Alternatively, Kovacic was dispossessed trying to dribble out deep in possession once and Villa almost scored as a result. Having a player keeping extra tabs on Kovacic to prevent his good outlet passes and ideally create an opportune turnover benefits the team.
With a player like Lukaku, you have to try to keep him from getting the ball. If Romelo gets the ball anywhere within 30 yards of the goal, he is a treat to score, especially with his left foot. His pace makes defending him close difficult but Davinson Sanchez should be up to the challenge following his layoff in Croatia.
If you can consistently deny Lukaku the ball and work to limit his touches, he can get frustrated and taken out of his game. His current form is such that your best bet is to not let him get a sniff. Given Spurs are not going to dominate possession, denying Lukaku the ball and opportunities may be the best approach.
Tottenham must make Mendy work and test Chelsea’s backs
Thus far this season Chelsea has only conceded a penalty kick in five matches in all competitions, however, they can be scored upon. The key to doing this starts with getting as many shots as possible.
Edouard Mendy is an excellent shot-blocker, with reflexes as quick as any keeper in the world. However, like Spurs, Pierluigi Gollini Mendy does have a tendency to give up rebounds. As more of a reflex-based shot-stopper, there is little Mendy does not get a hand on. However, many of those hands turn the ball into rebounds and as Spurs learned in France, a rebound can be deadly.
Tottenham needs to first, take some chances and really crank a few efforts toward the Chelsea goal and make Mendy work. Then secondly, Spurs need to be alert and ready to pounce because if they can manage to take a few shots and get them on frame I can guarantee there will be some rebounding opportunities.
The second offensive key is working to test the Chelsea backs in space. Chelsea is most likely going to be in a back three with Antonio Rudiger and Trevoh Chalobah on either side of Andreas Christensen. Chalobah is 22 and is very new to the Premier League, while Rudiger has been on the left, while preferring the right, to accommodate Chalobah.
Attacking these two players would be easier if Tottenham were at full strength,, regardless, they need to make both Chalobah and Rudiger work defensively. Balls toward the corners and the big diagonals forcing the two defenders to push wide can create some space for Spurs to work.
If Tottenham is successful in isolating and attacking the defenders, then the outside midfielders will have to push back and will leave fewer players in the Chelsea attack.
Despite likely being without Eric Dier or Japhet Tanganga, Tottenham still has the defenders to get physical and take Chelsea out of their game. Likewise, while Son, Berwgijn, and Lucas Moura would be the best options, both Bryan Gil and Dane Scarlett could make the Chelsea defence work and create the space Spurs need to succeed.
Bryan did find some space against Rennes and Scarlett has always shown himself a willing runner. The margins are thin but they do exist if Tottenham can play their cards just right.