As Roman Abramovich racks up his 1,000th game, the Russian’s favourite player, now manager, faces José Mourinho’s Spurs with the owner’s support – but knowing he is hard to satisfySunday’s game against Tottenham will be Roman Abramovich’s 1,000th as Chelsea owner. There probably won’t be a cake. Nor should we expect much in the way of a lavish presentation, given that the supreme leader himself hasn’t been glimpsed at a home game in two and a half years. And yet as Abramovich watches on from afar – presumably from his Moscow palace, surrounded by objets d’art and luxury snacks – he may reflect that this is a curiously appropriate fixture to mark the occasion. It is, after all, a meeting...
Tottenham suffocated a possession-hungry Manchester City in a fascinating tactical contest between two old foesYou know, this might just catch on. For an hour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the white shirts of Spurs and the all-blacks of Manchester City played out a game of such familiar contrasts, possession v non-possession, that it felt like watching a sporting remake from the Legends Tours, Tyson v Holyfield or Benn v Eubank. Related: Son and Lo Celso take Tottenham top with win over Manchester City Related: No amount of Marcelo Bielsa’s genius can save Leeds from a bumpy ride | Jonathan Wilson Continue reading...
Tottenham midfielder’s talent shone brightly against Real Madrid three years ago – but when Mourinho starts calling you talented you need to worryLast year Sport England announced it would be spending £85m on The Talent Plan For England. The idea behind the Talent Plan is to create “the world’s best talent plan” – a shoot-for-the-moon ambition that becomes more achievable if you accept the rather pedantic objection that a Talent Plan is something you’ve just made up, and thus, technically, nobody else in the world has one anyway.What is certain is that the Talent Plan has a lot to say about talent, so much that its 35-page outline mentions it 258 times in total. This is the big takeaway from...
The Real Madrid reject should still have explosive pace and looks suited to Harry Kane and José Mourinho’s tacticsFootball loves nothing more than a redemption myth. While there are many who will tell you to never go back, there is more rejoicing in the kingdom of football over one player who returns home than over nine and ninety who never leave.The narrative appeal of Gareth Bale at Tottenham is clear. He was the protagonist of their first side to compete in the Champions League, the explosive forward who scored a hat-trick at San Siro and obliterated Maicon at White Hart Lane, Tottenham’s first global superstar since Paul Gascoigne left for Lazio. Related: Why I can't wait to see Gareth Bale...
Harry Kane’s hapless efforts in the Tottenham documentary highlight the need for something more than a lot of shoutingWhat exactly do elite sports people need five minutes before kick-off? Tactical insight? Life-affirming motivation? Or just a bit of swearing? One of the highlights of the All or Nothing Tottenham documentary – aside from Danny Rose’s “any news from Milan?” – is getting to see those vital final words delivered to the troops before walking out for battle.One of the first times we see it Harry Kane takes the lead before a must-win Champions League game against Olympiakos. The huddle goes on for ever – a purple Lycra ring of Saturn. Starting XI, substitutes, coaches, injured players, physios, kit men, perhaps...