Tottenham’s coach has made his reputation as a master tactician and he showed why when his side stalled the Chelsea juggernaut with a 2-0 home winMauricio Pochettino has earned a reputation as a fine tactician, and this was a very impressive strategic performance by the Tottenham Hotspur coach against Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 system – the first time anyone has truly outwitted Chelsea in that shape.Since Conte switched to 3-4-3 after a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in September, Chelsea had won all 13 league matches, and had been so utterly dominant that opposition managers have found themselves terrified of playing their regular system for fear of being torn apart. The problem, though, is that no one had actually...
Mauricio Pochettino wanted his Spurs side to put down a marker against Chelsea yet games between these two clubs always come loaded with significanceMauricio Pochettino has been at Tottenham Hotspur for only two and a half seasons but, already, he has plenty of history with Chelsea – and it goes deeper than the now notorious 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, when his team lost a lead, their heads and any chance of the title.Pochettino can reflect on the 5-3 home win over them in his first season, which was one of the first indications that his side could play in the manner that he demanded while there would be the 2-0 Capital One Cup...
Liverpool, Manchester United, Sunderland, Leicester and others may be hit by loss of players to tournament as clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City capitaliseNow is the time for top clubs to prove that to be forewarned really is to be forearmed. Everyone knew that the Africa Cup of Nations was on the agenda for early 2017 and now, with 23 Premier League players among those heading off to Gabon to compete for their countries in what their employers view as the world’s worst-timed international tournament, rich clubs must show they are resourceful enough to cope. Otherwise they will pay a heavy price. Related: Liverpool’s matchwinner Sadio Mané will head to Gabon with a heavy heart Related: Wilfried Zaha accepts Ivory...
The Frenchman was a master of understatement but 10 seasons ago he hogged the limelight when he scored at White Hart Lane with his only shot of 2006-07Florentino Pérez and Zinedine Zidane might be playing nice at the moment but the pair have not always seen eye to eye. There are not many players that can publicly criticise the Real Madrid president and get away with it but that is exactly what Zidane did after Pérez took the decision to sell Claude Makélélé to Chelsea in 2003. Related: Remembering Florentino Pérez's Pavones, the players Real Madrid forgot Continue reading...
Spurs have found a ruthlessness in front of goal over the festive season but have not always made pressure tell against the team top of the Premier LeagueTottenham Hotspur could hardly look sharper going into Wednesday’s high-stakes duel against Chelsea but they know the match represents a mighty test of their finishing skills and they must pass it if they are to retain hope of ending this season as champions. Related: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea: match preview Related: Mauricio Pochettino reckons everyone else wants Spurs to beat Chelsea Continue reading...