Tottenham Hotspur fell to yet another defeat today as they visited Stamford Bridge to play Jose Mourinho’s old side, Chelsea.
The Blues started the game far faster than Tottenham, a pattern which continued for the vast majority of the match.
Spurs, once again, lacked a focal point up front, with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son out injured for the long-term.
Steven Bergwijn lined-up as the sole striker for the majority of the game, before swapping with Lucas Moura in the second half.
Tottenham failed to create too much in the way of shots on target at Stamford Bridge, with the likes of Dele Alli and Erik Lamela left on the bench.
Dele came off early against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, showing his frustration at the time, but was clearly not being rested for the London derby.
Mourinho has now claimed that it was all part of the game plan and that Lamela simply doesn’t have 90 minutes in him.
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He said (Football London): “Yes (I stand by benching Alli], we knew it was important to play the way we did tactically and then use what pace we had.
“We had strange game plans but we needed to have them. Like Lamela who played well, people think I’m stupid that I don’t play him, but he’s constantly communicating with me in the warm-up, can I play or not. He was telling me his feelings.
“Lamela played so well but only for 20 minutes, you must think I’m an idiot.
“But even in the warm-up, he was in communication with me about his feelings, ‘Can I go or not?’. That guy who played so well for 20 minutes, in the warm-up, he was in communication with me because he was not sure he could go. That’s Lamela. Amazing guy, fantastic player and trying to help the team.”
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