As we prepare for Chelsea at White Hart Lane, it becomes harder not to look at this fixture as a clash of two very opposing philosophies. On one hand, you have the unconventional Mourinho who employs the mind-set that says, ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’. Then at Spurs there’s Pochettino the visionary, whose philosophy is simply, ‘to build the wall’.
Presently, the reigning and defending Premier League champions are living a nightmare. Things are so below standard that Chelsea have no intentions of defending their crown. That boat sailed and left the shore the a long time ago. However, it is not a foregone conclusion that they cannot attain a top four spot, even if it looks highly unlikely at this stage. They have won their last two matches albeit in very unconvincing fashion. If they can beat us with other results going their way, it will ignite their shallow state of confidence, that could see them go on a run. This is more so why Spurs must win this game at all costs and hammer the final nail in Chelsea’s coffin. A Chelsea loss tomorrow will all but take away any shimmer of hope they have of attaining a Champions League place.
From a Spurs perspective though, it appears Pochettino has absolute confidence in his training methods and the fitness levels of the team. Worryingly, a few key players featured in midweek and could be slightly fatigued against Chelsea. The Argentine has worked wonders up to this point and he sees the players a lot more than we do, so we will have to go with the notion that he knows what he is doing. On the plus side, in derby matches like this, players do not need any extra motivation to compete and perhaps Mauricio is banking on the gravity of the occasion to see us over the finish line, should tiredness set in towards the end of the game.
Then there are the whispers in the media that Kane could be a target for Chelsea. It’s been quite funny reading those rumours. Somehow you can imagine a beleaguered Jose, desperately soliciting his chairman to play some underhand tactics to unsettle what is a very well-knit Spurs side and Abramovich pulling some strings in the media to create porky pies. It’s understandable if Chelsea are concerned about Kane. It was in this same fixture last year when Harry ripped them to threads. The day Kane stopped being a mere man and became immortal. Kane’s derby record stands at 14 games with 12 goals.
Chelsea are like a wounded lion on the brink of losing everything. This situation can make them more dangerous. Yet, it certainly will make them more vulnerable. Their aura of defensive invincibility and discipline has deserted them recently. It speaks volumes that we go into this clash as slight favourites. Pochettino is doing a marvellous job. A Spurs win could plunge Chelsea’s season to an all time low. Every superpower in history had its day in the sun before being usurped and defeated by another rising power. Chelsea’s fall coinciding with Tottenham’s rise could be the beginning of the end for the Roman empire and the birth of Pochettino’s blue and white army. Should Spurs win, we might have to review our top four ambitions and aim higher than finishing forth.
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